Chapter 20: "Wouldn't it be better to just wait patiently for the King to return?"
Jiang Xu gave her a much longer deadline this time than last time, but clearly, Shi Wan still only had one answer to give, and had to give.
The more familiar she became with this man, the clearer she understood him.
Now, she has no other choice.
However, that momentary lapse in concentration seemed to be a clear signal, alerting her.
Freedom is what I desire most, so I must not let myself be blinded by such fleeting comfort and sweetness.
It's too painful to not be able to see the road ahead.
She didn't want it to be like that.
Fortunately, perhaps Jiang Xu was truly consistent in his words and deeds, determined to give her some space to think, and since the last time, he has not shown up in front of her again.
Only the promised reward will flow in like water.
From gold and silver jewelry to silk and satin clothing, plus rare medicinal herbs and travelogues and illustrated books found from who-knows-where, it had everything.
It increasingly resembles... the way emperors bestow gifts upon their concubines.
This time, the person who came to deliver the items was a guard that Shi Wan was familiar with. Compared to the last time when he watered the flowers, he was much more taciturn this time. He placed the items by the door and left quickly.
The man was thin and slender, like a green bamboo. He was one of the guards Jiang Xu had selected a few days ago, but unlike the others, he was not as strong as an ox, and she did not find him particularly repulsive.
No wonder Liu Ying fell head over heels for her.
As the day of Jiang Xu's departure drew closer, her nerves became increasingly tense, especially in the last two or three days, when she was practically on edge.
Shi Wan gently touched her chest, suppressing this sudden and strange intuition.
......
*
Time flies, and the summer heat is getting stronger.
Jiang Xu was busy with military training and other matters, while Shi Wan was able to relax and contacted Liu Ying again, inviting her to leave the mansion.
Just as she was pondering this, Yu'er approached from outside the door carrying a wooden tray and said, "Sister Wan'er, the small kitchen has prepared the medicine. Drink it while it's hot." In addition to the reward, Jiang Xu also brought people familiar to Shi Wan to her side.
To outsiders, they all secretly praised her for being so lucky.
Shi Wan snapped out of her reverie, took the medicine cup, gently blew on it, and then set it aside. "Will Your Majesty still be sleeping in the study tonight?"
Over the past two months, Yu'er has learned some things about Wan'er and the Prince of Jingbei, both openly and secretly. Half a month ago, the Prince personally sent her to serve Wan'er. After observing the two getting along, she is now truly happy for the person in front of her.
Not to mention, after a long time, this was the first time she had asked about the king's whereabouts. Upon hearing this, she immediately blurted out, "The king will not be returning to the palace tonight; he is at the military camp."
The servants now know that Yu'er has gotten close to Shi Wan, so they inevitably try to curry favor with her and are happy to share any news with her.
Therefore, Shi Wan simply abandoned her initial discomfort and began to use Yu'er as a gossip.
Seeing that she was quite concerned about the king, Yu'er quickly added, "The king has been very busy these past few days, and I heard that he is going to stay in the military camp."
For Yu Shiwan, this is undoubtedly good news.
Coming to her senses, she smiled gently and drank the medicine without changing her expression. "Yu'er."
"I'm a little sleepy. You go ahead and get busy. I'll take a short nap this afternoon."
Yu'er, without suspecting anything, quickly acknowledged and withdrew.
At Shen Shi (3-5 PM), the sunlight is about to fade, losing the intensity of midday, but still carrying a certain weight.
The setting sun cast a golden glow, its intense light casting jagged shadows on the figures waiting at the back door.
Liu Ying couldn't help but move a little further in, trying to avoid the glaring light, but then, as if hearing a noise not far away, she immediately looked up.
Upon seeing Wan'er arrive, she immediately forced a smile.
It was partly a compliment, and partly, it also contained a degree of sincerity.
Last time, Wan'er asked her to help exchange some loose change. As her status in the mansion rose, Liu Ying also received many benefits.
Although Wan'er has not yet been formally accepted into the King's household, everyone in the mansion knows perfectly well that it's only a matter of time!
The two of them successfully hitched up their carriage and left the mansion, and for quite some time no one came to ask them anything.
Shi Wan noticed this change and tentatively asked, "Sister Liu Ying, you must have made a lot of money these days, right?" Otherwise, why was the doorman so familiar with her just now?
Liu Ying, who was already trying to curry favor with her, immediately said upon hearing this, "Exactly! It's all thanks to you, Wan'er!" She made a lot of money selling items through the middle, and by using Wan'er's name, the two combined to achieve considerable success.
Thinking of this lucky man in front of her, she quickly said, "Just wait and see! You won't be shortchanged."
The two now have a subtle difference in status, but Shi Wan deliberately ignores it and insists that Liu Ying treat her as before. As a result, the two have strangely become less distant.
In this exchange of favors, a few genuine feelings unexpectedly emerged.
If someone who didn't know the situation were to see them, they might mistake the two for sisters. Shi Wan listened to the other person's rambling as they went upstairs together and arrived at the clothing store again.
In the private room on the second floor, the waiter finished serving tea and snacks and then left in a tacit manner, making sure to close the door tightly before leaving.
Just as Liu Ying sat down and took a small sip of her cool tea, she heard Wan'er say, "I would like to ask you for a favor. There will be a shopping trip at the manor on July 4th. Could you take me with you?"
Liu Ying casually replied, "Sure." Anyway, Wan'er is now the king's favorite, so even if she wanted to pluck the stars from the sky, she could probably do it. She swallowed a mouthful of tea, then took another sip. "What do you want to do? You don't need to condescend to do something like purchasing, do you?"
"I would like to leave the mansion."
etc......
What does "leaving the residence once" mean?
Shouldn't it be "a trip outside the city"?
Liu Ying stared blankly at Shi Wan, her voice trembling slightly, "What...what do you mean? I don't understand."
Seeing that she was pretending to be ignorant, Shi Wan didn't explain any further and continued, "Just like usual, it can also be considered as 'leaving the mansion'."
Leaving the manor? Who are you trying to fool?
Liu Ying inwardly cursed her bad luck, unsure whether to agree or not.
Shi Wan slowly explained the advantages and disadvantages, "The king will set off before that, and it will take more than two days to get there. Once we reach the border, the battle will take even longer. It will take at least eight or ten days to get away."
Although it was a small battle, everyone knows that the Turks have always been difficult to deal with.
Therefore, it becomes much easier to leave quietly.
Liu Ying naturally understood the key point and tried to persuade him, "Although the King has left the palace, there must be people sent by the King to monitor you. Why don't you stop thinking about these things and just wait for the King to return?"
“No.” Shi Wan answered crisply, even decisively.
Ever since that moment of distraction more than ten days ago, she had been thinking about this matter constantly. Now that she found the opportunity was within reach, she was naturally unwilling to give up.
Overall, Jiang Xu treated her well; aside from the first two or three times, he didn't make her suffer much.
But Jiang Xu was not the man she wanted, nor was he the one she wished to settle down with.
There will be many men like him.
He might make the same sweet promise to other women again.
Shi Wan lowered her stance and spoke in a pitiful tone, "I have never expressed any intention to leave, Your Majesty would not have thought of that."
"As a fellow woman, Sister Ying'er, you should understand my difficulties."
Shi Wan's tone was even more sorrowful, "The King is a dragon among men, and there are many women like me around him. I won't lie to you, although the King treats me well, it's just a passing fancy, lust at first sight."
"Ten years, no, at most two or three years, and another so-called beloved will appear by his side," Shi Wan said with absolute certainty. "By then, I might..."
A moment of silence fell over the room.
Liu Ying was quite frightened by Wan'er. It wasn't until Wan'er finished speaking that she realized she had even forgotten to swallow the tea she had in her mouth.
She also has someone she likes, so of course she understands how it feels.
Ultimately, high-ranking officials and nobles looked down on women who came from singing backgrounds. Even if they took a liking to them, they would only treat them as pretty ornaments, and after a while, they would quietly get rid of them.
But... it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.
"No, it won't happen." Shi Wan suddenly looked up at her. "It's just a little anger, and you'll be fine."
“I’m not that important to him.”
Shi Wan said meaningfully, "There will be a victory banquet after the war, and there will be new people there." After a long pause, seeing that Liu Ying still looked hesitant, she suddenly said, "Sister Liu Ying, I know this is very risky, but you're just going with the flow, aren't you?"
"Otherwise, those who engage in buying and selling illegally will be punished with caning immediately."
Liu Ying: "......"
Liu Ying gritted her teeth and said, "...Fine, I'll help you this time." She sighed deeply.
"But this is the last time."
*
With one worry gone, Shi Wan felt much more relaxed.
A single tree cannot support a forest. Even if Jiang Xu is completely trusting, it would be difficult for her to handle the situation on her own. Now that there is assistance, it naturally provides an extra layer of protection.
On the way back, the sky gradually darkened, followed by the sound of pattering rain.
The downpour came suddenly.
The crackling sound, like a noisy string ensemble, startled the flock of birds perched in the caisson ceiling.
Similarly, Shi Wan's heart skipped a beat.
The sticky, humid air always made her breathing feel stuffy. The dull pain in her heart had improved somewhat in the past few days, but it would still ache finely and frequently on rainy days.
The wheels rolled forward, and when they arrived at the mansion, as expected, Jiang Xu was nowhere to be seen.
Shi Wan, holding an umbrella, walked all the way inside, passing through the hanging flower gate, but suddenly changed her mind.
At this moment, all was quiet, and the sound of the rain could just cover her footsteps. Even if she wandered around, no one would suspect anything.
Such opportunities are rare on ordinary days, so Shi Wan almost immediately took a step and walked in the opposite direction.
The prefect's mansion was lavishly decorated, and its layout of five courtyards and three roads followed the old system. However, due to the power held by successive prefects and the current chaotic state of the world, a closer look reveals that there were many overstepping boundaries in the decoration. All of these factors undoubtedly increased the difficulty of navigating the terrain of Shiwanji.
Fortunately, she was prepared from the beginning, and now she only needs to take a closer look and verify it.
As they walked, they suddenly arrived at a guest room in the back garden.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight, indicating that the owner was not yet asleep.
A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and a monk stood inside. Upon seeing Shi Wan, his expression was extremely calm.
She was taken aback for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Greetings, benefactor."
"I apologize for disturbing you, and I shall take my leave now."
The rain sounded like weeping. After a long while, a voice answered from the other side, deep and resonant like wine, drifting through the misty rain to my ears, "Amitabha." After speaking, the voice gently closed the door.
Shi Wan stood there for a few moments before regaining her senses and then left.
*
......
June 29th.
Just past the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), fine water droplets seeped from the ice chest that hadn't been put away in the corridor, dripping down the animal-head ornaments onto the blue brick floor. A breeze swept through, causing the bed curtains to flutter up and down.
The door creaked open, and Shi Wan looked up abruptly to see Jiang Xu.
He was dressed in a narrow-sleeved robe, as if he had just returned from military training. He still exuded a faint but sharp and murderous aura, which seemed to be deliberately concealed, making him appear quite contradictory.
Before Shi Wan could speak, she saw the man turn around as if he had sensed something.
He got straight to the point, his tone relaxed, "How is it?"
What's your decision?
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