Chapter 25 [25] The First Request
【25】/First release
The smile on Yun Ran's face stopped.
Seeing this, Chang Chun sighed inwardly. I told you long ago, but you didn't believe me. Why bother with this?
Alas, youth.
"Actually, there's nothing much to see in there. It's just snakes. There's even a giant black python as thick as a locust tree. Its fangs are so long and its mouth is so bloody it's really scary."
Chang Chun gestured with his hands, trying to comfort her: "His Highness didn't let you in, probably because he was afraid of scaring you."
"Father-in-law, you don't have to coax me."
Yun Ran's eyelids drooped slightly: "He's not worried that I'll be scared..."
He is just mean! Stingy!
At this time, a young eunuch hurried over and bowed to report: "Princess, Chief Steward Chang, Nanny Lan Gui from the Queen Mother's Palace has arrived and is waiting in the front hall."
Yun Ran was stunned.
Nanny Lan Gui came at this time, it must be because the Queen Mother has something to say.
She looked at the tightly closed iron gate, then at Chang Chun beside her. She took a deep breath and stuffed the food box in her hand into Chang Chun's arms: "I'll go check ahead first. You take this snack to His Highness."
"Tell him how grateful I am for carrying me home yesterday. As for him being so stingy and not letting me into Willow Fairy Garden... well, if he doesn't want to enter, then don't. I don't care!"
After saying this, she swaggered away with the little eunuch.
Chang Chun held the food box with a sullen look on his face.
The princess is really outspoken. She even dares to say that the prince is stingy.
He shook his head helplessly, then opened a corner of the food box and took a look. Seeing that it was full of cakes and snacks, he felt even more embarrassed.
His Highness has never liked these sweet things. Even if the best pastry chef in the imperial kitchen brings them to him, he won't even look at them. It would be useless for the princess to give them to him.
Although he thought so in his heart, he still held the food box, put on protective gear, and entered Liuxian Garden again.
The weather suddenly turned cold, and the snakes were no longer active. They curled up in their own safe corners and went into hibernation one after another.
After Sima Jing finished feeding a group of large snakes that had not yet hibernated, he heard another "clicking" sound coming from outside the door and couldn't help but frown.
Before he could scold her, Chang Chun quickly raised the food box and said, "Your Highness, the princess sent me to bring you some snacks!"
Sima Jing's eyes flickered slightly: "Where is she?"
Chang Chun said, "Madame Lan Gui from the palace has arrived, so the princess went to the front hall to entertain her."
Upon hearing this, Sima Jing's thick brows furrowed even deeper.
After a while, he said, "I understand."
Chang Chun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then asked anxiously, "What about this snack...?"
Sima Jing glanced at the food box, was silent for two breaths, and said, "Bring it here."
Chang Chun was surprised in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He quickly put the food box on the table beside him.
Of course, he also did not forget to convey the princess's words before leaving -
"The princess also said, thank you for carrying her back home yesterday. As for you...as for you..."
"As for what?"
“…”
Chang Chun cleared his throat and parroted, "The princess said, humph, as for him being stingy and not letting me enter Liuxian Garden, then I don't want to enter, I don't care!"
Sima Jing: “…”
Chang Chun lowered his head awkwardly: "This is what the princess said."
Although Chang Chun spoke in such a pinched voice that made Sima Jing feel nauseous, he inexplicably imagined the tone and demeanor of the young lady's speech in his mind -
He must be pouting, raising his eyebrows, and looking dissatisfied.
But how dare she call him stingy?
Last night, when she held on to him and refused to let go, he was very merciful by not throwing her directly into the snake cave.
"knew."
Sima Jing said, "Go ahead and see what the purpose of the people coming from the palace is."
Chang Chun responded with a "yes" and bowed before leaving.
When he reached the gate, he looked back out of habit.
But the prince in a crow-colored cloak opened the food box, stared at the pastries inside for a while, and then picked up a piece of pink and soft pastry and put it directly into his mouth.
Chang Chun was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of his head.
My master, who has never liked sweets, would actually take the initiative to eat snacks?
And it’s this kind of fruit-filled sweet cake that looks so sweet?
Sima Jing sat quietly on the stone bench, chewing the sweet cake filled with rose hips carefully.
The sweet aroma of the pastries spreads on the tip of your tongue.
In a trance, I seemed to smell the elegant and sweet fragrance that belonged only to her.
Yesterday, when she was lying in his arms, her breath was sweet. Could it be because she always ate these fruity and floral cakes?
***
In the front hall, the aroma of tea wafts through the air.
Yun Ran was having an intimate chat with Nanny Lan Gui.
Nanny Lan Gui looked at the charming little princess sitting in the upper seat, her hair in a bun and a light red jacket. She couldn't help but smile and said, "This old servant sees that the princess looks well. It seems that you have been living a comfortable life since you got married."
"It's pretty good."
Yun Ran also smiled: "His Highness is quite good except that he is quiet and a little cold."
Seeing that the relaxation between her eyebrows and eyes did not seem fake, Nanny Lan Gui also breathed a sigh of relief.
After taking two sips of freshly brewed scented tea, she told the Queen Mother her instructions. Finally, she said, "I hope your Highness will not despise my old age and slowness. I will do my best to serve you and Your Highness."
They learned that the Queen Mother had actually sent Nanny Lan Gui to work in their mansion. And from the tone of her words, if nothing unexpected happened, Nanny Lan Gui would stay in the palace until her retirement.
Yun Ran was surprised and delighted: "That's great!"
She looked at Nanny Lan Gui with eyes filled with genuine joy. "Nanny, you suddenly left me two days ago, and I wasn't used to it. Now that you're back and can stay in the palace, it's like a great help to me, like I have divine assistance!"
"Your Highness, your words are truly humiliating to me."
Nanny Lan Gui laughed out loud, but she was very pleased in her heart.
Although it is more respectable to serve the empress dowager in the palace, perhaps because of her age, she has gradually longed for a simple and stable life in recent years.
However, she had worked in the palace for most of her life, had never married, and had no children. Although she had a distant nephew outside the palace who was willing to take care of her in her old age, she knew in her heart that his or her "filial piety" was bought with money.
Rather than deceiving myself with such hypocrisy, it is better to continue staying in the palace. At least I will feel at ease.
Queen Mother Zhao may have seen her situation, and seeing how much she liked this little princess, she just took advantage of the situation and transferred her to Prince Jing's mansion.
Not only did he take care of the young couple for the Empress Dowager, but he also found a quiet place for her old friend to live out her retirement, killing two birds with one stone.
Nanny Lan Gui was grateful to the Queen Mother and dared not forget her instructions.
So as soon as Yun Ran returned to the Zhanlu Hall in the backyard, she found an opportunity to quietly ask, "Is the princess and His Highness's intercourse going smoothly?"
Yun Ran was stunned for a moment, and when she finally reacted, her ears suddenly felt hot: "Mammy, why are you asking this?"
Aunt Lan Gui: "Anyone else has questions?"
Yun Ran said embarrassedly, "My mother also asked about it when I returned home yesterday."
Nanny Lan Gui suddenly understood and nodded, "It's normal for the Marquis to ask this. After all, a harmonious relationship is beneficial to the relationship between husband and wife."
"And now that you are the princess, bearing a child for the palace is a top priority. This is not only for you and the prince, but also for the dignity of the royal family and the glory of your Changxin Marquisate."
"Ah, is it that serious?"
Yun Ran also suppressed her embarrassment and frowned seriously: "But I'm only fifteen this year. The "Prescription for Pregnancy and Childbirth" says that it's not good for a woman to get pregnant too early. Besides..."
My mother also said that there is no need to rush this matter and just let it take its course.
Nanny Lan Gui never thought that the little princess could not only recite scriptures, but also read books on pregnancy and childbirth. She was truly a person of deep potential who could not be revealed.
"What the book says makes sense, but it's not something that can be achieved in one go."
Nanny Lan Gui pondered for a moment before finally exposing the young couple's wedding night ploy: "I'm afraid you and His Highness... haven't gotten married yet, have you?"
Yun Ran knew nothing about Xipa, so when he heard this, he didn't panic at all as if he was exposed.
He just smiled a little embarrassedly: "My mother told me to listen to Your Highness on the wedding night, so when Your Highness told me to shut up and go to sleep, I shut up and went to sleep."
Aunt Lan Gui: “…”
One dares to speak, and the other listens. They are truly two pieces of wood.
She was just about to have a nice chat with Yun Ran about matters concerning marriage when she heard the maid outside the house softly reminding her that lunch was ready.
Upon hearing this, Nanny Lan Gui suggested to Yun Ran, "Why don't you invite the prince to dinner? It's a good opportunity to chat while you're eating."
Yun Ran looked a little embarrassed.
She had just been rejected by him and was still angry.
I don't want to dine with him.
Yun Ran turned his head away and coughed unnaturally, "I've already started going to the study. His Highness is very busy, so let's talk later."
Seeing this, Nanny Lan Gui found it a bit strange, but she didn't force it. She just smiled and stood up: "Okay."
"Then, while we have some free time today, after lunch, I will accompany the princess to review the household affairs. You are now the mistress of a mansion, so you must thoroughly understand these accounts and properties and have a clear understanding of them."
Yun Ran, who had originally planned to cultivate the vacant land in the backyard in the afternoon: "..."
Okay, let’s do the jobs that pay more money first.
Anyway, that piece of land won't run away, so I can clean it up slowly when I have time.
So after lunch that day, Yun Ran took a break and then moved to the flower hall with Nanny Lan Gui, where he began to summon the servants in the mansion and deal with the account books.
In the past, when Yun Ran was in the Taoist temple, he also saw the eldest sister managing the accounts.
However, there were only six people in their small Taoist temple, and the account books were very simple.
Unlike this huge palace, although it looks quiet and deserted, it actually supports more than a hundred people. As for the various land and shops, the income and expenditure are even more enormous.
After reading for an entire afternoon, Yun Ran only had one thought in his mind -
Sima Jing is so rich!!
And now all this money is in her hands, and she is in charge of it and can spend it as she pleases.
Yun Ran felt as if he was falling into the clouds, in a daze, as if in a dream.
She would laugh foolishly from time to time, look at the account book, and do the abacus, and before she knew it, it was evening when the sun was setting in the west.
Yun Ran's mood brightened up after he suddenly found out that he had so much money at his disposal, and he also forgot about the unpleasantness of being turned away in the morning.
So when Nanny Lan Gui suggested again that she invite Sima Jing to dinner, she gladly accepted and immediately sent someone to the study to invite him.
Then--
Rejected again.
"Your Highness, I can't say."
The maid who delivered the message bowed carefully and reported, fearing that she would anger the princess.
Nanny Lan Gui stood aside with her hands hanging down, her brows furrowed as she listened.
Your Highness is really going too far. How can you be so disrespectful to the bride?
She tried to make amends for Prince Jing and asked the maid, "Is the prince busy and unable to spare time?"
"I don't know."
The maid trembled and said, "This servant was not able to see His Highness. I only heard the word 'not going' coming from the study."
Aunt Lan Gui: “…”
This girl is so stupid. She doesn't even know how to say polite words.
I really don't know how he got into the palace.
Although she was complaining in her heart, Nanny Lan Gui quickly calmed down and looked towards the couch.
But under the dim light, the beautiful and graceful little princess sat motionless beside the couch, her thick eyelashes drooping, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Nanny Lan Gui thought she was just upset, so she quickly softened her voice and stepped forward to comfort her, "Princess, please don't take it to heart. His Highness...he's always been like this. He might really be busy..."
"Mammy, there's no need to make amends for him."
Yun Ran raised her face, her delicate eyebrows relaxed, and she didn't look unhappy as expected: "This person is very awkward. I guessed that he probably wouldn't come."
Aunt Lan Gui was slightly surprised: "The princess is not angry?"
“No.”
Yun Ran shrugged. "If I were angry about this, I would have died of anger long ago. Besides, people move and live, trees move and die. Instead of brooding and sulking here, why not think about how to solve the problem?"
Aunt Lan Gui was slightly startled: "How to solve it?"
"That's easy."
Yun Ran calmly smoothed the hem of her skirt and stood up: "If the mountain doesn't come to me, I will go to it."
"It just so happens that I have something to discuss with him."
Yun Ran ordered Qing Ling: "Tell the kitchen to put all the food in Shenliu Hall."
Until that elegant and thin figure disappeared in the courtyard, Nanny Lan Gui was still shocked by the young lady's open-mindedness and optimism.
Just like an orchid that looks delicate and weak, it can actually withstand wind, rain, fire and stone crushing as long as it is given a little sunshine and rain.
Even a little bit.
She can stubbornly pop her head out from the cracks in the rocks, growing tenaciously and vigorously.
Suddenly, a warm feeling surged in Aunt Lan Gui's heart.
The young are really to be feared.
It seems that both she and the Queen Mother underestimated the little princess.
***
Unlike Yun Ran's Zhanlu Hall, which was decorated with red and colorful decorations and was full of joy, Sima Jing's Shenliu Hall had always maintained its usual cool and elegant style.
Apart from two lanterns with a red "囍" character on them at the gate, there was no festive atmosphere of a newly-caught wedding when one stepped inside.
Yun Ran didn't take it seriously and walked in confidently, standing at the door waiting for someone to pass on the message.
When Sima Jing learned that she had come in person, a hint of surprise flashed across his dark eyes.
He thought that after being rejected repeatedly, she should have given up.
After all, most young ladies are thin-skinned and arrogant.
But she...
Should we say that she is thick-skinned, has a big heart, or is she a stubborn fool?
Chang Chun, who was standing by, observed his master's expression, thought for a moment, and decided to speak up for the princess: "It's getting colder today, and there's a wind outside. I see that the princess is very frail, and she doesn't have a coat with her. It would be bad if she got sick from being caught in the cold."
Sima Jing raised his eyelids when he heard this.
He looked past Chang Chun's head and straight at the hazy and petite shadow outside the green gauze window.
After a moment's silence, he said, "Let her in."
His Highness is indeed kind and gentle to women!
Chang Chun quickly responded, "Yes, I'll go and invite you right away."
Soon, a burst of chattering could be heard outside the house. The familiar voice sounded like the gurgling of a spring, clear and pleasant to the ears.
"Thank you for your help, Eunuch Chang."
"You're welcome, Princess."
"Hasn't the food from the kitchen been delivered yet? Hurry up and rush it. I'm starving."
"Yes, servants will go right away."
As the last note fell, a figure in red crabapple clothes stepped over the threshold.
In an instant, the originally quaint and dim house seemed to become a little brighter.
Sima Jing sat quietly beside the couch, watching the young lady with cloud-like hair and red dress walking towards him step by step.
As we got closer, her face became clearer in the candlelight.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Yun Ran originally thought that she was no longer angry, but when she saw Sima Jing's cold and clear face, she was still a little angry——
Even if he is good-looking, he can't be so rude.
It was the first time Sima Jing saw someone paying his respects, and his face was full of resentment.
"Get up."
He looked at her: "What's wrong?"
Yun Ran said: "Can't I come to see you if I'm fine?"
Sima Jing wanted to say "yes", but when the words came to his lips, he met her sad little eyes and swallowed them back.
Yun Ran snorted when he saw this.
A taciturn person with a sawed-off mouth has such a pretty mouth for nothing.
She lifted her skirt and sat down on the other side of the couch. "I know you like quiet time, but I'm not idle all day and have nothing to do. I'm busy too!"
As she spoke, she raised her hands. "See? I've been doing abacus and looking at accounts all afternoon! My hands are swollen!"
"Madame Lan Gui also said that the shop owners and the village head will come to see me later. If I have time, I'd better go to the shops and the village on my own. That way, even if I don't have account books in my hands in the future, I will have a clear account in my mind."
As she spoke, she glanced at Sima Jing. Seeing that his face was calm, he didn't interrupt her, so she continued, "I came to see you this morning to apologize for getting drunk yesterday, and to thank you for carrying me back to the yard."
If she mentioned this matter in the morning, she would feel a little embarrassed.
Now that he has rejected me twice, the embarrassment I felt has completely disappeared.
He helped her, but also made her angry, so let's just call it even.
"Besides the drunkenness issue, I also want to ask you, have you thought through the three requests I agreed to earlier? And, and..."
Yun Ran pursed her rosy lips, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "My second brother and his wife have to go back to Yuzhou the day after tomorrow, and I want to go see them off."
Hearing this, Sima Jing's calm black eyes finally showed a hint of reaction.
He looked at the young lady who was sitting quietly under the lights, waiting for his answer.
It turned out that she came to see him because she really had something.
It wasn't the excuse he thought it was...
"You can go if you want."
He said, "As long as you don't drag me along, I won't restrict your freedom to leave the house."
Yun Ran: “…”
Who wants to drag him along?
"I'm not the kind of rude person who likes to force others. If you don't want to go out, then don't go out."
She muttered depressedly, and when she noticed the man's indifferent glance at her, she immediately cleared her throat and said seriously, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to go out unless it is necessary in the future."
Her tone was sincere and her eyes were clear.
But for some reason, Sima Jing felt a little stuffy in his chest.
"Your Highness?"
Yun Ran called out twice before the man in the cloud-patterned robe finally looked over. She hurriedly looked into his eyes to confirm, "So what you're saying is that I can go out and see my second brother and his wife off the day after tomorrow, right?"
Sima Jing: "Yeah."
Yun Ran: "Then do I need to report to you when I go out in the future?"
The word "report" is not unfamiliar to Sima Jing.
But in his understanding, reporting is a necessary step only between superiors and subordinates, and he did not give any instructions to Yun Ran, so she naturally did not need to report to him.
As for where she went and what she did every day, it had nothing to do with him.
"No need to report to me."
After a moment of silence, Sima Jing continued, "There are some things I want to clarify with you today."
It was rare for him to speak on his own initiative. Yun Ran's eyes widened slightly, and his back straightened. "Go ahead."
Sima Jing said, "Although you and I are already married, this marriage was, from the very beginning, something I neither wanted nor you wanted. So for the sake of both of us, we will publicly identify ourselves as husband and wife, close the door on our homes, and live our own lives without interfering with each other."
After a pause, he raised his eyelids and looked at her: "What do you think?"
Yun Ran was not prepared for him to say such a thing.
Her eyebrows knitted together, and she looked troubled. "It's not impossible for us to live our own lives, but there's one thing that might be a little difficult to handle."
Sima Jing: "What's the matter?"
Yun Ran bit her lip and raised her eyes: "The ritual of Zhou Gong."
Sima Jing: “…”
"Don't get me wrong, it's not what I want to do!"
Yun Ran's ears felt a little hot, and he quickly said, "After all, we don't know each other very well. It would be so weird if we hugged each other naked like the two little people my mother gave us."
"But my mother and Nanny Lan Gui both take this matter very seriously. As you know, Nanny Lan Gui's opinions are exactly what the Queen Mother wants. I can handle my mother's side, but as for the Queen Mother... I'm afraid I can't handle it."
Yun Ran asked him seriously, "Can you handle it? If you can, then I have no problem with what you just said."
Living their own lives and not disturbing each other, isn't this the best situation she expected before getting married?
Unexpectedly, his idea coincided with hers. It was like a sleepy man hitting the pillow. What a coincidence.
When Sima Jing saw her mention this kind of thing, and the little people hugging each other naked, without changing her expression or heartbeat, his eyes became complicated.
But he also knew that sleeping together was indeed a big problem that they couldn't avoid.
Isn’t it for this matter that the person in the palace sent Nanny Lan Gui here today?
He understood his mother's methods. Whatever she wanted to do, she would do whatever it took.
Now she takes the soft approach first.
If soft tactics don't work, use hard measures...
Looking at the innocent young lady sitting opposite him, Sima Jing pursed his thin lips.
She was afraid that she would suffer.
But if he were to sleep with her now...
Sima Jing couldn't help but purse the corners of his lips even tighter, and an inexplicable sense of guilt arose in his heart.
She might not even know what to do in bed.
"Your Highness, why are you silent? Is this difficult?"
Seeing his serious expression, Yun Ran also rested her chin on one hand and sighed, "Indeed, the Queen Mother and Nanny Lan Gui are both very smart people. It would be difficult to hide this from them."
Just as she was frowning and racking her brains over how to solve the problem of sleeping together, the man's calm voice suddenly rang out from the opposite seat: "Do you remember the three requests you made to me?"
"Hmm? I remember."
Yun Ran blinked and looked at him in confusion, wondering why he suddenly changed the subject.
"My first request is—"
Sima Jing met her clear and pure gaze, his throat inexplicably tightening, and his usually calm voice now revealed a bit of hoarseness: "Find a way to make me no longer resist your touch."
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The author has something to say: Sima Er: This part of self-reward (√
This chapter randomly drops red envelopes. I wish you all a happy August! [Kiss]
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