Chapter 30 World 2 (6)
The guard was stunned, and under Yuwen Xuan's pressure, he slowly announced the name of the treasure fan.
He looked at Yuwen Xuan with his brows lowered, unable to discern his expression of joy or anger, and his heart seemed to be in his throat.
Could it be that something went wrong when Baoshan was taking care of the Changming Sword?
Though the guard feared Yuwen Xuan's authority, he believed that if there was any fault, it was entirely his. If he hadn't been unable to find a suitable maid and had instead brought Baoshan to care for the Changming Sword, how could he have angered the prince? The guard recalled Yuwen Xuan's usual punishments, the lightest of which was twenty lashes. Baoshan was so delicate that even a single blow, let alone twenty, would have been enough to kill her. So, despite his fear, the guard prepared to step forward and take the entire responsibility, preventing Baoshan from being implicated.
The words "treasure fan" flashed through Yuwen Xuan's mind. He always had a very good memory. Just by mentioning this name, he remembered the owner of this name - she had a pair of snow-white and soft hands. She thought she was calm when she confessed her crime, but her trembling body showed her fear.
Yuwen Xuan's eyes darkened. He did not continue to ask where the precious fan was, or ask the guards to bring her over. It seemed that he was simply curious about who had touched Changming just now. Now that he knew the answer, it was enough.
Watching Yuwen Xuan's retreating figure, the guard's face was filled with surprise, yet he felt incredibly relieved. It turned out Yuwen Xuan wasn't angry about the treasured fan. The heavy stone in his chest seemed to have been lifted instantly, allowing him to breathe normally.
The housekeeper reported in a serious tone the dereliction of duty of taking care of Changming Jian's maid.
When the maid was discovered, she initially refused to admit it. After her hands were bound by ropes, she cried out that she was simply too afraid of the sword.
Countless people had died under Changming's sword. She was afraid that even the dirty blood had seeped into the sword. She was frightened and did not dare to get close.
If you are haunted by an evil spirit, you will have nightmares and your life will not last long.
The butler was used to seeing people crying and begging for mercy, and his heart was as solid as a rock, without the slightest wavering.
——It was only because I thought that the prince could no longer lift the sword and would no longer go to check on Changming to avoid being saddened by the scene that I became lazy.
The housekeeper naturally would not tell Yuwen Xuan these details, and all the processes were simply transformed into a sentence "the matter has been handled."
"But who should take care of Changming now?"
After experiencing the maid's negligence, the housekeeper had to be extremely cautious and took the risk to ask Yuwen Xuan what he thought.
Yuwen Xuan stood with his hands behind his back and spoke after a long time.
"No need."
Since it is a sword that cannot be opened, what is the point of spending so much time and effort to take care of the scabbard and hilt.
Even if a few more people were assigned to take good care of the Changming Sword, it would only be treated as a decoration to be dusted and cleaned, like the porcelain vases in this room and the potted plants on the table, which could only be admired by people.
Being an embellishment has never been the destiny of a sword.
It is no longer useful now, so why bother taking care of it? It would be better to let Changming return to silence.
The housekeeper looked slightly surprised, but did not dare to question Yuwen Xuan's decision. He bowed and agreed.
Hua Qing noticed that Baoshan had been feeling better recently. Usually when she went out and came back to the house, Baoshan would stay in the house. It seemed that he had not gone out all day.
I don’t know where Baoshan got the new clothes from these days. She has a silver-gray jacket and a long dark green skirt that trails on the ground. The only bright color is the red silk ribbon around her waist.
Maids of their age love beauty and dressing up the most.
Although she had few copper coins in her purse, once she received her monthly salary, she would always ask the servant to go to the cloth shop to buy some cloth, so that she could have it cut into clothes. Peach pink, bright red, indigo, light purple... the colors of the fabric she chose were all eye-catching and bright, and she would then dress up in a flashy way.
How could there be such a precious fan using such dull and lifeless fabric?
But Hua Qing gritted her teeth and had to admit that even with Bao Shan's dusty attire, she looked more graceful and delicate than the others, even with the finest rouge and brightly colored fabrics.
The slender waist that could be held in one hand was tied tightly with a red silk.
Except for the red silk, the rest of her graceful figure was completely covered.
The jacket is not tailored to fit her body well, which makes the undulation of her slender waist even more suggestive.
Hua Qing walked closer and realized that the red silk around Bao Shan's waist was half-worn and half-new. She couldn't help but sneer, "How come you can't even afford a decent belt?"
Still want to use this tattered cloth as laces?
Bao Shan was not angry. She replied softly, "I've been very busy lately. I can't compare to Sister Hua Qing who is smart and clever. She is favored by Miss Deng."
Hua Qing has been very popular recently, and has frequently received gifts from Miss Deng—jewelry, gold, silver, and some small items...
Bao Shan suddenly came closer, and a pair of beautiful eyes stared at Hua Qing's face carefully.
Hua Qing resisted the urge to look in the dressing mirror, her face stern, her voice cold and hard: "Why are you staring at me?"
Baoshan's eyebrows were curved, and she tapped twice with her slender jade fingers.
"Sister Hua Qing's makeup looks really good today. Did you use the powder from Jia Ren Fang?"
Hua Qing was pleased when she heard this: "Of course."
The cosmetics from Jiarenfang are only available to the nobles.
Some of the treasures from Jiarenfang even flowed into the imperial palace and were sought after by the ladies.
But when she saw Baoshan's rosy cheeks and lips as red as cinnabar, Hua Qing's original proud expression froze on her face, and she cursed inwardly: Baoshan looks so beautiful and charming, waiting to be picked. Why are you praising her again? He must have bad intentions and is deliberately mocking her.
But in the blink of an eye, Hua Qing's expression changed from joy to gloomy, and she walked away in a huff.
Even though Bao Shan was very thoughtful, he couldn't guess the reason.
Jinxiu was dejected, looking pitiful as if she had been ravaged by the wind and rain.
Jinxiu remembered the rules and could not show her emotions in front of her master. As soon as she left the house, she came to Baoshan.
She threw herself into Baoshan's arms, and when she felt the softness and warmth, her heart relaxed, and the tears that she had been holding back began to fall.
"Miss Deng asked me to catch fireflies, saying that candlelight is too harmful to the eyes. Besides, candlesticks are dull and boring, and the prince will definitely not like them.
How about making a bag out of gauze, filling it with glowing fireflies, and placing it in the prince's room to replace candlelight? It would be both interesting and lively. But how many fireflies would I need to catch... Wuuwuwu... Miss Deng wants the precious fan tomorrow. Even if I don't eat, drink, or rest tonight, I still can't catch so many fireflies... Wuuwuwu..."
If you want to catch fireflies for fun, catching twenty or thirty is enough.
It's just that according to Miss Deng's idea, fireflies should be used as candlelight.
However, the light of fireflies is too weak. If you want to achieve the lighting effect, you need to prepare at least five or six cloth bags and put thirty fireflies in each bag.
Miss Deng only instructed Jinxiu, so the task of catching fireflies was solely her responsibility.
How is it possible to catch a hundred fireflies in just one night?
Baoshan used a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on Jinxiu's face. The makeup on Jinxiu's face was already smudged from crying, and her frown had not relaxed since she entered the room.
Bao Shan offered a suggestion softly: "How about I help you catch it, it will be faster if we two are together."
Jinxiu was confused, and when she came to her senses, she quickly refused.
"No, you can't catch fireflies until late at night. You should stay in your room and rest at night. How can you follow me and go to the bushes to catch fireflies despite being bitten by mosquitoes?
Besides, this is the errand that Miss Deng assigned to me. How can I let you suffer with me?"
In Jinxiu's heart, a beauty like Baoshan should be treated as a noblewoman with fine clothes and delicious food, but it just so happened that she was born in the wrong place.
Nowadays, being a maidservant to serve others is already very pitiful.
If Bao Shan were to do some odd jobs like catching fireflies because of me, that would be an even greater sin—
This smooth and delicate hand should be placed in a copper basin with warm water and nourished by milk petals. It should never be used with a simple cloth bag to catch the insects flying in the sky.
Jinxiu shook her head repeatedly, Baoshan lowered her eyelashes, and her tone was full of loss.
"But—aren't we friends? Friends should help each other."
Because of Baoshan's words "We are friends", Jinxiu's excitement was beyond words, her cheeks flushed and her head was dizzy. When her hands were held in Baoshan's palms, she felt as if she had fallen into a nest of happiness, soft and sweet. No matter what Baoshan said, she nodded and agreed.
It was not until the sweet scent faded away that Jinxiu realized what she had promised.
——She actually agreed to let Baoshan go with her to catch fireflies!
At this point, Jinxiu knew that it would be useless for her to struggle and refuse. She thought to herself: If someone is so beautiful, her heart must be a hundred times better than others.
Thinking of Miss Deng's arrangements, Jinxiu felt dissatisfied with her master's orders for the first time.
Late at night, Hua Qing, who lived in the same room, had already fallen asleep. Bao Shan opened the door, walked out quietly, and closed the two doors with his hands without making any sound.
Jinxiu was already waiting for her in the yard.
Seeing Baoshan coming, Jinxiu split the cloth bag into two. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, Baoshan could not see the number of cloth bags, so she kept the pile with more bags for herself and handed the others to Baoshan.
Jinxiu took out two porcelain bottles from her bosom and gave one to Baoshan.
She explained: "This is a flower juice that I asked someone to mix. Applying it can repel mosquitoes and attract fireflies."
Baoshan opened the porcelain bottle, poured the flower juice into the palm of her hand, and gently applied it on her fingertips and palms.
Jinxiu suddenly leaned over, and the treasure fan loosened its grip, spilling all the flower juice onto her chest.
Because of the darkness, Jinxiu didn't notice that she had made any mistake, and Baoshan didn't blame her.
Jinxiu was like a puppy, sniffing the scent of the precious fan.
"Why is it that the same flower juice smells so good on you, Bao Shan, but I don't smell at all?"
Jinxiu smelled her wrist curiously. It was light and had no odor. After concentrating and smelling for a long time, she could smell a faint floral fragrance.
But when the flower juice gets on the precious fan, it becomes fragrant and the aroma lingers.
Jinxiu thought that if she were a butterfly, she would not be interested in the other peonies and azaleas. She would just stay around the precious fan all day and live on its fragrance.
Baoshan suggested that they go catch fireflies separately and meet here again after two hours.
The number of fireflies in the same place is limited.
If the two of them separated, they could catch as many as possible, so Jinxiu naturally agreed.
Watching Jinxiu gradually leave, Baoshan walked in the opposite direction of Jinxiu. Occasionally, a few fireflies were attracted by the fragrant flower juice and flew around Baoshan. She did not stop and continued to walk forward.
Baoshan didn't stop until he reached an arch bridge.
This place is extremely quiet and peaceful. Although it is late at night, it is so quiet that even the chirping of insects and frogs cannot be heard from the grass.
Baoshan looked up at the sky. The moonlight was bright, as if a piece of extremely clear gauze was spread from above, covering the arch bridge, the grass, and the calm surface of the lake.
Baoshan tied the cloth bags around his waist, leaving only one in his palm.
She walked lightly into the grass, and the flying fireflies slowly approached the treasure fan.
Baoshan opened the cloth bag and easily caught a few fireflies.
The faint light shines through the cloth bag and is reflected on the red silk around the waist of the treasure fan, making it look even more soft and beautiful like the bright moon.
On the arch bridge, Yuwen Xuan stared at the scene with gloomy eyes. He was not thinking about the beauty in front of him, but an idea came to his mind.
The silver gown and green skirt, especially the red silk tie at the waist, fluttered slowly as the treasure fan caught fireflies.
——If his Changming Sword could transform into a human form, it would look like this.
Changming also had a red silk like this, but when it was tied to the hilt of the sword, it made people feel fearful and uneasy.
But being tied around such a weak waist gave people other thoughts: he only needed one hand to easily hold her and imprison her in his hot palm.
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