Chapter 74 My hands are warm
Chapter Seventy-One
Gu Tanghua only stopped after Gu Jinyan's figure disappeared into the distance.
Dragged along by her, Shen Panyan had no choice but to run alongside, her skirt billowing in sweat as she gasped for breath.
Seeing her pale face and swaying figure, Gu Tanghua was somewhat frightened and quickly supported her, "Princess, are you alright? Should we call a doctor...?"
"I'm fine." Shen Panyan took a breath. She had just never run so vigorously before and was not used to it.
She reached out and gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Gu Tanghua said worriedly, "Then let's rest for a while before we leave."
"good."
Gu Tanghua helped her to a nearby pavilion and sat down, feeling annoyed. "It's all my fault. Your health isn't good to begin with, and I was carrying you around..."
"It's alright." Shen Panyan shook her head and smiled at her.
She remembered what she hadn't said earlier, and hesitated, "By the way, is Cheng Le really pregnant?"
The thought that she and Lin Xiao had also slept in the same bed last night made Shen Panyan feel nervous. Her hands instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes. Could it be that she had also...?
It's one thing to know something in your heart, but it's another to actually have it.
"Well, I'm not really sure about that either, but..." Gu Tanghua shook her head, "but it's true that they were seen lying in the same bed. I heard that a male prostitute drugged her in order to get close to Princess Chengle..."
"Drugned?" Shen Panyan was shocked.
"That's right. The pleasure boats are a mixed bag, and most of the people on board are eager to rise to the top. Princess Chengle frequents pleasure boats every day, and even with General Zhao accompanying her, she is bound to encounter people with ill intentions."
“Is that so…” Shen Panyan frowned.
"yes."
Gu Tanghua nodded, "That male prostitute originally intended to use the drug on himself, but who knew that General Zhao would discover it, and then the two of them..."
She was, after all, an unmarried woman, and felt somewhat embarrassed to talk about it. She mumbled, "Anyway, the two of them were seen together. When the news reached the palace, His Majesty was furious. Princess Chengle was confined to the palace. Not long after, the General of the State entered the palace to request a marriage decree for the two of them."
This matter caused a sensation in the capital, and everyone knew about it, but no one mentioned it openly, since it concerned the face of the royal family and the Zhenguo General's Mansion.
Upon hearing this, Shen Panyan was both surprised and deeply moved.
Back then, the Zhenguo General's Mansion was so eager to get rid of this marriage that they couldn't wait to get rid of it. But now, the Zhenguo General has gone to the palace to request a marriage decree for Zhao Yun.
This really is... the world is unpredictable.
Suddenly, she thought of herself again.
If she were to commit the same disgraceful act as Cheng Le… Shen Panyan pursed her lips. Lin Xiao was not General Zhao; he did not have that kind of status to protect him, and her father would not bestow a marriage upon him.
Father Emperor was already angry once because of Chengle's matter; if I were to cause the same thing again...
The thought of the consequences made Shen Panyan's heart clench tightly.
She needed to make a clean break; she couldn't drag it out any longer.
But last night...
"By the way, Princess," Gu Tanghua suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts, "Now that Princess Chengle is married, your marriage must be approaching. Have you decided who will be your consort?"
She spoke mysteriously, "If you haven't decided yet, why don't you take a look at my brother?"
Remembering how listless and unable to eat when Gu Jinyan was in the manor, Gu Tanghua decided to help him.
After all, he is his own brother.
She sighed softly to herself, her gaze fixed on Shen Panyan.
Chen Panyan: "..."
She was momentarily at a loss for words. Although she had chosen Gu Jinyan, wouldn't it be unfair to Gu Jinyan if she were like Cheng Le?
"I need to think about this."
Seeing that she was hesitant, neither accepting nor rejecting, Gu Tanghua immediately knew that there was hope. He quickly and affectionately pressed his arm against hers and began to whisper sweet nothings.
She was cheerful and had many friends. She knew a lot of interesting things about the capital, which surprised Shen Panyan. They had a very pleasant chat.
Before long, Gu Jinyan caught up, and the three of them continued walking towards the back of the mountain.
This time, nothing unexpected happened. The three of them came to the wishing tree, took bamboo wishing plaques from the young monk not far away, wrote down their wishes, and hung them on the tree.
When the wind blows, the wishing plaques jingle, and this magnificent sight of the tree in full bloom can only be seen during the daytime.
"Princess, what did you wish for?" Gu Tanghua asked curiously.
The three of them wrote their wishes separately and hung them in different places, so they didn't know what the others had written.
Gu Jinyan gently nudged her. "Wishes won't come true if you say them out loud. How could you ask the princess?"
Gu Tanghua then realized that she had asked a very presumptuous question and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean it."
"It's alright," Shen Panyan shook her head, not minding at all.
"let's go."
"good."
The three of them went down the mountain together. As they disappeared into the distance, the wishing plaque that Shen Panyan had been hanging on the tree was suddenly flipped and taken down by a long-fingered hand.
His gaze fell upon her delicate handwriting.
He already knows a lot of words.
The wishing plaque only had six words written on it—"May he be safe and free."
The knuckles suddenly tightened.
*
Because Shen Panyan was going to stay at Cining Temple for three days, Gu Jinyan also stayed behind, leaving only Gu Tanghua to return to the capital by carriage.
As she left, Gu Tanghua whispered a lot of things to him, which made Gu Jinyan's eyes light up with admiration.
He immediately gave Gu Tanghua the jade carvings from his private collection, so that she could buy a gift she liked when she returned to the capital.
Generous!
Gu Tanghua smiled and took it, then left satisfied.
Meanwhile, Shen Panyan finally realized the truth: simply sleeping in the same bed wouldn't result in a baby.
She was conflicted, feeling that she was doing Gu Jinyan a disservice, but she couldn't refuse the marriage... So, she subtly inquired about Cheng Le's situation with her two maids. They must have had more experience than she did since coming from the palace, and that's when she realized that having a baby wasn't such a simple matter.
The idea that sleeping in the same bed would result in a baby was a complete misunderstanding. After realizing she had made a fool of herself, Shen Panyan breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
She knew that once she stepped onto this path, there would be no turning back, but since there was no possibility between them anyway, she might as well let go and give him his blessing.
She already had a plan in mind for how to get Lin Xiao back: she would use the same old trick.
Back then, her father sent secret guards to look after her because she was frightened and her nightmares wouldn't go away. She could use that incident to do it again. Her father still felt guilty towards her, and now was the perfect time. She couldn't wait until her father's birthday.
However, this is not an easy task to accomplish.
She was previously terrified and had nightmares because of what Consort Hui and the Empress did. Now that Consort Hui is dead and the Empress is imprisoned in the Cold Palace, no one is targeting her anymore. Where can she go to have nightmares?
If she were faking it, it would be too deliberate, and her father would be able to see through it at a glance.
Therefore, we must come up with a foolproof plan.
But where could a princess confined to her chambers find bandits to rob her...? As Shen Panyan frowned, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in her mind.
Empress!
Why does it have to be bandits? Isn't the Empress the same? As long as her reason for falling into a nightmare is sufficient, Father Emperor will believe it.
Come to think of it, she hasn't even met the Empress yet, even though she's been back in the capital for so long.
Although the Empress has been deposed, she has raised her for many years and is her mother. As her daughter, she should at least go and see her.
Having made up her mind, Shen Panyan slowly exhaled.
After returning to the capital, she went to see the Empress.
During her stay at Cining Temple, she spent more time with Gu Jinyan, hoping to make Lin Xiao give up on her.
Once he sees it, he'll understand that she really doesn't have those feelings for him, and he shouldn't be so stubborn.
*
As the sun set and the sky gradually turned a thin red, Shen Panyan instructed her servants to go to the dining hall and retrieve a considerable amount of food. Afterward, she went to Gu Jinyan's courtyard.
"Princess?!"
Just as Gu Jinyan was racking his brains about what excuse to use to see her the next day, she saw that the woman had come to his door herself. He was both surprised and delighted. "Why have you come?"
Shen Panyan smiled and had the food set out. She blinked and said, "I heard you didn't leave. I was just sitting idly in the courtyard, and I don't know many people, so I thought I'd come and talk to you."
After saying that, she looked at him nervously, "Young Master Gu, you won't find me annoying, will you?"
Gu Jinyan grinned and said, "How could I possibly find you annoying, Princess? I'm more than happy to oblige. Please, have a seat."
Seeing his happy expression, Chen Panyan sat down, her knuckles tightening. "Young Master Gu, please don't call me Princess anymore. We're already so familiar with each other, there's no need to worry about formalities. Just call me Mingyue. You're two years older than me, so can I call you Brother Jinyan from now on?"
Under her clear, gentle almond-shaped eyes, Gu Jinyan swallowed nervously. He was so overwhelmed by these huge offers that he immediately agreed without hesitation.
"sure!!"
The moment the words were spoken, a leaf quietly turned to dust and slowly fell from the palm of the hand.
Shen Panyan smiled and said, “Brother Jinyan probably hasn’t had dinner yet. I had someone bring some dinner. It’s all the best dishes from Cining Temple. Please try them.”
After saying that, she picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of vegetarian tofu into his bowl.
“Princess, I can do it myself…” Gu Jinyan hurriedly tried to stop her, but Shen Panyan frowned unhappily. “Didn’t we agree to call me Mingyue? Is Brother Jinyan going back on his word?”
Gu Jinyan realized what was happening, felt annoyed, and then cautiously glanced at her before tentatively speaking, "Mingyue."
Shen Panyan smiled and said, “Yes, Brother Jinyan, please eat quickly. Although the food at Cining Temple is all vegetarian, it tastes quite good.”
"Thank you, Mingyue. You should eat too. Don't worry about me." Gu Jinyan was not one to be coy, and she accepted it quickly, picking up a piece of vegetarian food and putting it in her bowl.
"Thank you, Brother Jinyan."
The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests.
After dinner, Shen Panyan invited him to take a walk by the lake at Cining Temple. It was not raining tonight, but the ground was still a bit damp, and even with the lanterns lit, it was still dim and hard to see clearly.
Shen Panyan walked on the inside, while Gu Jinyan walked on the outside. The two chatted and laughed as they walked. Suddenly, a cool breeze rose, blowing her hair and causing her skirt to sway slightly. Shen Panyan couldn't help but shiver slightly, and Gu Jinyan quickly took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders.
The warm outer garment fell on her, and Shen Panyan was taken aback for a moment before whispering, "Thank you, Brother Jinyan."
“Since Mingyue calls me brother, it’s only right that I take care of you.” Gu Jinyan tidied her clothes and said with annoyance, “It’s all my fault. It’s so late, and I still brought you to the lakeside to play. It’s so late, let’s go back.”
Shen Panyan looked up at him, a small dimple appearing on her lips, "Okay."
The two started walking back.
The bright moon hangs high, casting a silvery glow across the ground.
Qingdai and Zhuzhi carried the bamboo branch in front, followed by Gu Jinyan's servant.
Gu Jinyan loved riding horses and knew a great deal. He talked eloquently, making Shen Panyan sometimes cover her mouth and laugh, and sometimes respond. The two walked side by side, their figures gradually merging together under the moonlight. They crossed a stone bridge, the water shimmering beneath their feet, and even the wind seemed to become gentle.
Perhaps the atmosphere was just right, because Gu Jinyan suddenly stopped, turned to look at her, his gaze intense, "Mingyue."
Shen Panyan paused for a moment, then looked up. "What's wrong, Brother Jinyan?"
"N-nothing...it's nothing..." Gu Jinyan hesitated, her gaze shifting uncomfortably elsewhere. "Do you like horseback riding? How about I take you horseback riding when we get back to the capital?"
Shen Panyan: "Okay!"
Speaking of which, her father said he would give her a horse, but she hasn't gone to choose one yet.
"Then it's settled."
Gu Jinyan laughed, then gently touched her hand, pretending to take her hand naturally, but actually her ears were turning red with nervousness. "Mingyue, it's windy today, your hands are so cold. How about I hold your hand and we walk together?"
"My hands are warm."
Shen Panyan paused for a moment, her fingertips twitched slightly, but she didn't refuse in the end, "Okay."
The next moment, that warm, large hand enveloped her hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
