Chapter 95 Merlin's Charm
Seeing the lust in the man's eyes, Wen Ning quickly turned her head away to avoid his burning gaze.
She just called his name like a princess, how could it make his eyes well up like this?
"I, I'll go and get close to some of the maids in the courtyard. Maybe Sister Yin'er is one of them."
Before she finished her words, she ran out of the door, holding up her skirt.
Looking at the beautiful figure that quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Xie Jinglan's eyes were gloomy.
He suddenly regretted why he didn't take a detour to Cangchun Pavilion when he came here to bring the custom-made items.
…
There were originally six maids serving in Jiayuan.
Wen Ning called them to the corridor and took out six heavy silver coins from her purse.
"The Marquis said that it's been cold these days, so he should give the sisters some winter clothes."
Each person was given a silver coin, which shocked the maids so much that they looked at each other in surprise.
Wen Ning moved up the stone steps, leaving them half a space to bask in the sun.
"I'm a servant myself, and I know how hard it is to work in such cold weather," she said, straightening the collar of the nearest maidservant's shirt. Her tone became warmer. "What are the sisters' names? Which courtyard in the palace were they transferred from?"
The little maid's cheeks flushed slightly at her affectionate gesture, and she quickly bowed, "My dear lady, I used to work in the laundry department, and my name is Mo'er."
The taller person next to her took over the conversation, "I was transferred from the Imperial Food Bureau. My name is Qinghe..."
Several others followed suit and reported their names, but not a single one contained the character “愔”.
The little hope that had just ignited in Wen Ning's heart quietly died out, but a gentle smile remained on her face.
If I ask directly about Yin'er's whereabouts at this moment, it might seem a bit deliberate.
She chatted with the maids for a few minutes without leaving any trace, and then let them go.
In the shadow of the corridor, Xie Jinglan took in everything.
When Wen Ning returned to the house, he saw her staring at her empty purse in a daze. Without saying a word, he took off the gold and silver wire purse from his waist and put it in her hand.
The purse was so heavy when he handed it to her that it made her wrist drop slightly.
She had seen the purse he carried with him before. It never contained small change, but only engraved silver ingots or heavy gold ingots and gold melon seeds.
Xie Jinglan saw her looking down at her purse, and his brows furrowed slightly.
In the past, she always liked to refuse the things he gave her, either saying "My lord, this is too expensive" or "My lord, I don't need these."
He had long been accustomed to her distant and polite appearance, and at this moment he even prepared words of persuasion.
Unexpectedly, this time she didn't refuse at all. With a slight flip of her hand, the purse slipped easily into her sleeve.
When Wen Ning raised her eyes, there was a hint of mischievous smile in her eyes. She bent her knees slightly and said crisply, "Thank you for the reward, Lord Marquis~"
The person in front of him rarely showed herself so cute. Xie Jinglan was stunned at first, but he felt that the previous awkwardness caused by her rejection had completely disappeared, and was instead filled with warmth.
Giving his money to his woman is so natural that it makes people's hearts warm!
This feels so good!
The man simply took a step forward and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Since you thank me for the reward, would you accompany me to appreciate the plum blossoms tonight?"
…
After the night snow cleared, the plum garden spread out along the mountainside. Glass lanterns hung between the branches of the old plum trees beside the road, staggered along the height of the mountain. From afar, it looked like a galaxy fallen into the mortal world.
From time to time, there would be a few tourists holding lanterns and chatting, and in the distance you could see the shadows of several people in luxurious clothes.
The glazed lamps make the thin snow appear crystal clear. The red of the cinnabar plum, the green of the green-calyx plum, and the blue of the jade butterfly plum are blended into the snow to create a vivid and colorful night plum painting.
Xie Jinglan suddenly grabbed Wen Ning's wrist and led her away from the main road into the dark place.
Wen Wan's ears suddenly burned, and panic filled her eyes. "My Lord, my Lord, you rejected the Fifth Princess' invitation during the day. If someone saw us..." She struggled slightly, but his fingertips tightened the grip. She could only lower her voice, "...I'm afraid it will cause a lot of trouble."
Xie Jinglan led her through several layers of plum shadows and stopped under an old plum tree with twisted branches.
The moonlight slanted through, casting delicate spots of light on the snow.
The man turned around, his eyes falling on her cheeks which were slightly red in the light, and he said word by word: "Ning'er and I have never been about right or wrong."
Snow flakes fell from the plum branches, landing on his hair and shoulders, but he was completely unaware and only looked at the stunned look in her eyes.
The little face was so beautiful that it made all the flowers on the tree pale in comparison.
The tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold, but her lips were particularly plump due to the white mist she exhaled.
The scenery was so beautiful, and the woman was even more beautiful. Xie Jinglan's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and his thin lips carried the coolness of a snowy night, and he couldn't help but cover those soft lips.
I originally wanted to just have a taste, but the moment I touched it, I felt like I was falling into a cloud of mist.
The friction between lips and teeth became more and more urgent, as if they wanted to knead the plum fragrance of the snowy night and the warm light of the lamp into this lingering kiss, and they could never be separated again.
Wen Ning's legs went weak, and he held her waist and pressed her against the trunk of the plum tree, startling a pile of broken snow and white jade.
The falling snow mixed with the cool fragrance of plum blossoms filled the air, and even the air seemed to be immersed in sweetness.
The pavilions in the distant valley are half hidden in the deep shadows of plum trees, and the snow on the eaves reflects the glass lamps, just like a jade building floating in the night.
In the viewing pavilion at the highest point, Emperor Chengxuan was leaning against the railing, playing with a gilded peep show in his hand, admiring the beautiful scenery in the plum forest with great interest.
"Your Majesty, you've been looking at him for quite some time," Eunuch Wang carefully handed over the heater. "The Marquis is the one you've chosen for the Fifth Princess. Doesn't it annoy you to see him looking at you like this?"
The emperor tutted, his eyes still glued to the mirror tube. "Old man, what do you know? I granted Jinglan and Zhaohua a marriage out of consideration for the political situation, but how can it be the same for the one this brat chooses himself?"
The tall figure in the mirror was wrapping the person in his arms tightly in a black cloak. Only occasionally could one glimpse the outline of a slender waist through the gap in the cloak. It seemed that she was a pretty girl.
Seeing the indulgent smile in His Majesty's eyes, Eunuch Wang couldn't help but take a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, if the Fifth Princess knew about this, given her temperament, she would probably make a scene."
Emperor Chengxuan snorted softly, tapping his fingertips on the cold mirror. "My princesses are all spoiled beyond measure, especially this Zhaohua. The Empress has spoiled her so much that she's almost forgotten the dignity of the royal family."
Eunuch Wang lowered his head and listened, not daring to respond.
Emperor Chengxuan placed the mirror heavily on the railing. "The Xie family is full of loyal and brave people, and now he is the only one left. He has no one to rely on. If he marries a princess, let alone expecting her to take care of the harem and share his worries, it would be a blessing if she doesn't cause trouble in the future. How can he concentrate on fighting outside?"
Emperor Chengxuan suddenly chuckled at Eunuch Wang, "Huh? What? A man on the march to war can't even keep a beloved woman with him?"
Eunuch Wang's heart trembled, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He bowed and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty is right. Your Majesty is wise, and it is I who am stupid."
Under the old plum tree, pink and white and cinnabar colors are intertwined on the branches, and occasionally fall.
The warm light spread over the petals, making the bright color even warmer. A few branches leaned down diagonally, outlining the ink-and-wash artistic conception of sparse and slanting shadows in the moonlight.
The body temperature of both of them was trapped under the cloak, making it as warm as spring. A part of the woman's white wrist was faintly visible, and his five fingers were firmly clasped on the tree trunk.
Wen Ning's body was tense. After all, they were in the Plum Garden. Such intimate behavior seemed too reckless to her.
Xie Jinglan noticed her stiffness, and nuzzled against hers, his gaze fixed on the lingering panic in her eyes. A hint of low, playful sarcasm lingered in his voice, "Ning'er, why are you so distracted?"
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