In a flash, she came up with an excuse: "Your clothes are embroidered with gold and silver threads and adorned with eighteen amber beads. What guard is qualified to wear such a robe? I may have amnesia, but I'm not stupid. What are you trying to fool me about?"
Su Yushan raised her chin slightly, gave a haughty snort, and had a clever yet slightly naive expression that was completely different from what he had seen before. Could it be that she really had amnesia?
Hongli gazed at her thoughtfully. At this moment, Su Yushan was fully awake, completely pretending to be someone with amnesia, giving full play to her acting skills and maneuvering around him.
"Tell me honestly, who exactly are you?"
Hongli did not answer, but sat down by the tent, his voice slow and leisurely, "Take a guess, and you will be rewarded if you guess correctly."
In truth, she already knew the answer in her heart, but she pretended to be confused as she looked at him, pondering thoughtfully, "You can freely enter and leave my room, could you be the Fourth Master that Chang Yue mentioned, my husband?"
Hongli smiled but remained silent. Su Yushan became even more certain of her guess, and smiled happily, "I guessed right. Do you still stand by what you just said?"
Her eagerness to ask for a reward was palpable, yet it was unclear what she truly desired. Resting his hands on his knees, Hongli slightly raised an eyebrow, glancing at her indifferently. "What reward do you desire? Fine silks or jewels?"
Shaking her head, Su Yushan seized the opportunity to express her wish, "I want a bowl of hot porridge."
"Hot porridge?" Hongli's eyes flashed with surprise. "You didn't have dinner?"
She felt upset when she talked about it. "The food here is always cold. I heard it's because I offended you. So I apologize and admit my mistake. Please don't be angry anymore, and please don't send me cold food anymore, okay?"
The kitchen was actually sending her leftovers? Hongli was unaware of this; he'd discuss it later. Right now, what mattered most to him was her attitude. That night she'd been so stubborn, saying all sorts of harsh things, yet today she was bowing down to him for a meal. Hongli suddenly found it amusing and casually asked...
"Where did you go wrong?"
Su Yushan shook her head honestly, "I don't remember. I have no recollection of what happened that night. Please repeat it for me, Fourth Master."
She wanted to use this opportunity to find out the source of their conflict, but to her surprise, Hongli refused to speak openly and remained tight-lipped about what happened that night.
"If you can't remember, then your apology isn't sincere."
She believed her attitude was good and she was very sincere. "So what do I have to do to make you stop getting angry and stop bringing me cold porridge?"
"Want some hot porridge? That's not difficult." Leaning slightly closer to her, Hongli gazed into her watery eyes with his deep, dark eyes and kindly suggested, "Once you consummate your marriage and officially become my woman, they won't dare to neglect you anymore."
She found it hard to accept that they had consummated their marriage so soon after meeting, but she didn't dare to refuse openly for fear of angering him again. So she used her injuries as an excuse.
"But the doctor said I injured my forehead and need to rest. I must not move around too much to avoid aggravating the injury."
Judging from her tone, she didn't seem opposed to the idea. "You mean, we can consummate our marriage after the injury heals?"
As if she had other choices, Su Yushan lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, counting on her fingers, "They say I am your concubine, and I have no reason to refuse."
These words coming from her mouth were truly surprising. Even though it was the same person, Hongli felt that the two encounters with her were completely different.
"I've noticed that you've changed since you lost your memory; you've become obedient and docile."
Su Yushan thought to herself: It's because we're under someone else's roof that we have to bow our heads. Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, she took the opportunity to discuss things with him.
"Since I've been so obedient, could you tell the kitchen to stop sending me cold rice?"
Her eyes curved slightly, her smile sweet, and her gaze revealed the delicate charm of a woman from Jiangnan. Hongli was momentarily stunned before he came to his senses, and gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
"All you think about is food, don't you ever think about getting any other benefits?"
Amnesia was fake, but the headache was real; her forehead was still wrapped in gauze! Su Yushan hissed softly and exclaimed, "Oh dear! I'm injured in the head and already have amnesia. What if you flick me on the head and make me stupid again?"
With a chuckle, Hongli glanced out the window and said meaningfully, "It's getting late, we should rest."
She thought he was leaving, but to her surprise, he instructed Chang Yue to prepare hot water. So, he was planning to stay in her room? Su Yushan sensed something was wrong and instinctively pulled the quilt tighter.
"Didn't we agree that we weren't in a rush to consummate the marriage?"
Seeing her frightened and wary look, Hongli retorted, "Can't I just lie here and take a nap?"
With a man and a woman lying together, would he really behave himself? Su Yushan stared at him suspiciously, feeling that things weren't so simple.
Chang Yue had already prepared hot water. After serving the Fourth Master his washing up, she prepared to help him undress, but he waved his hand, telling her to step back. Then he looked at Su Yushan, signaling her to help him.
Unbuttoning something as simple as that requires someone to serve you? These royals are certainly pampered!
Su Yushan secretly grumbled to herself, but dared not refuse openly. For the sake of a hot meal, she had no choice but to obey and slowly moved to the edge of the tent to untie his plate.
As it turned out, she was all talk and no action. With her slightly long nails, this clasp was really hard to untie. In addition, the clasp was made of white jade. Such a valuable clasp required her to be extra careful. She couldn't afford to pay for it if she broke it!
As Hongli lowered his gaze, he saw her small, arched eyebrows furrowed, her long, thick eyelashes half-drooping, and the small beauty mark at the corner of her left eye adding a touch of charm. Her cherry-red, thin lips were slightly pursed as she carefully and cautiously unbuttoned his clothes. Her face was as smooth and delicate as an oval, and every frown and smile was exceptionally endearing.
He was pleasing to the eye, but poor Su Yushan spent quite a while before finally unbuttoning all the buttons.
"It's all done." Su Yushan breathed a sigh of relief, then diligently brought a new brocade quilt from the foot of the bed and spread it out beside the curtains. "Fourth Master can rest now."
Seeing this, Hongli's brows furrowed slightly. "Why are you sleeping under separate blankets?"
"If we share a blanket, we'll inevitably touch each other. If you're distracted and I'm injured and unable to serve you, wouldn't that be a hardship for me?"
Su Yushan considered herself to be very considerate of him, her watery eyes filled with sincerity. Hongli was young and impetuous, and he naturally knew what kind of torment that was.
After weighing the options, he didn't insist any further, and instead pulled back the new quilt and lay down beside her.
He had agreed to just have a simple nap, but with his beloved by his side, how could he possibly remain calm? A jumble of thoughts surged within him, keeping him restless for a long time.
In reality, there were many maids in the mansion, and he had no need to stay here and suppress himself, but the servants were neglecting her, and this matter had to be resolved.
If he stays at Tingfeng Pavilion for one night, everyone in the mansion will know the next day. Not only the kitchen staff, but also the other servants will change their lazy ways and pay extra attention to the affairs of Tingfeng Pavilion.
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