Chapter Twenty-Four: Beauty's Intoxication
Yun Yao suppressed his surprise and calmed down before quietly walking towards his wife.
At this moment, the camphor garden was completely silent, and the young lady made Yun Yao feel vaguely unfamiliar.
“Yun’er,” the lady said with a deep look in her eyes but a smile in her voice, “come sit next to me.”
Yun Yao had intended to sit on the low stool next to the lady, but she pulled him back and made him sit in the seat beside her. Yun Yao was somewhat surprised that the lady's strength seemed to have increased considerably. He looked at her, slightly stunned, and asked softly, "Madam, are you cured?"
The lady smiled slightly without answering. She touched the boy's beautiful face, as bright as the moon, and gently pulled him into her arms. Holding the boy, she said, "Yun'er, the weather is very nice today. Come and enjoy the flowers with me here."
Yun Yao didn't dare move. He smelled the familiar sandalwood scent on his wife and felt a slight sense of relief. Surprisingly, he didn't feel particularly repulsed by his wife's sudden intimacy, perhaps because he had gotten used to sharing a bed with her these past few nights.
He was just a little embarrassed, after all, there were some silent attendants standing by the lady, and even if he didn't see anyone, Yun Yao knew that there were always people around the lady, like silent shadows protecting her safety at all times.
The lady admired Yun Yao's beautiful face, as smooth as mutton fat jade. The young man's earlobes glowed pink in the warm light of the palace lanterns, like freshly peeled lychee flesh. The faint, refreshing fragrance emanating from Yun Yao reminded the lady of the beautiful woman described in operas as "warm to the touch and fragrant like orchids when she breathes."
At this moment, the attendants quietly brought in the newly acquired hibiscus mutabilis and ancient crape myrtle from the garden. The hibiscus mutabilis is known as the "Beauty's Intoxication" because it changes three times a day: white in the morning, pink at noon, and red in the evening. Ancient books describe it as having "jade-like makeup in the morning and rosy clouds in the evening."
Yun Yao was somewhat mesmerized by the sight of these precious flowers. His wife whispered in his ear the stories and legends of these rare flowers.
After admiring the flowers for a while, the lady had a chessboard set up and began playing chess with Yun Yao.
As evening fell, the air on the veranda was filled with the scent of cold plum blossoms mixed with the aroma of pine soot. Moonlight slowly seeped through the wisteria trellis, as if someone had steeped moonlight in an incense burner.
...
As night deepened, rain suddenly began to fall from the previously clear night sky.
The rainy season in the south is always like this: the sun shines for a while and then it rains again, so changeable, just like the complex human heart.
The lady had just left on business, and Yun Yao returned to her room alone.
The pattering rain pounded against the window, and the thunder rumbled faintly in the dark clouds. The rain gradually intensified.
Yun Yao looked somewhat weary. Although he was from the South, he still found it difficult to adjust to the rainy season. The damp air seemed to come from all directions, making him feel like a cotton doll, all wet and at the mercy of others. He shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, trying to shake off the sudden wave of annoyance that had been washing over him.
After reading the newspaper that was delivered regularly, and flipping through a dance book, Yun Yao finally lay down to sleep, feeling utterly bored. But this day clearly hadn't exhausted him enough.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but in his hazy state, Yun Yao heard a knock on the door again. His heart skipped a beat, and his first thought was, "Has Madam returned?" But the knocking grew louder and louder until it completely woke him up. Yun Yao thought that this could not be Madam knocking. Madam was never impatient; she would never knock like this.
Yun Yao opened the door, and just then a bolt of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating the slightly sinister faces of Butler Cheng and his two attendants standing in front of the door.
"Yun Yao, pack your things, Madam wants to see you," Butler Cheng said expressionlessly. Two attendants behind him stepped forward and handed two boxes to Yun Yao.
Yun Yao had no choice but to take the box. He asked in surprise, "Butler Cheng, it's so late. Where does Madam want to see me? And what's in this box?"
Previously, Madam always came to his room alone in private. Why was it Butler Cheng who called her this time? Yun Yao weighed the box in his hand; it was very light.
"You don't need to ask any more questions. There are clothes in the box. Just change and come with us." Butler Cheng didn't say anything more. After speaking, he turned his back and waited at the door.
Yun Yao opened the box, inside was a set of handmade custom-made pajamas. On the moonlight white plain fabric, the hand-embroidered morning dew grass pattern was faintly visible.
Yun Yao sighed inwardly, and replied without hesitation, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Steward Cheng."
Yun Yao closed the door and tidied himself up. He put on this handmade custom-made pajama set, which was exquisitely crafted in every inch, from the fabric to the details. The top-quality silk felt like a second skin against his body, as if he were wrapped in the mist of a spring morning.
Looking at her radiant reflection in the dressing mirror, Yun Yao felt a chill run down her spine.
...
Butler Cheng led Yun Yao to a room he had never seen before. Butler Cheng respectfully knocked on the door, which opened from the inside. Two attendants stood on either side of the door, and the warm light of the palace lanterns shone through. Yun Yao saw a quiet and luxurious Chinese-style bedroom that was in no way inferior to the master bedroom of the madam.
Butler Cheng gestured for Yun Yao to follow the two attendants inside, while he himself stopped at the door and quietly closed it.
Yun Yao followed her attendants through the carved moon gate, and the scent of sandalwood wafted towards her. The entire bedroom seemed to encapsulate the essence of Jiangnan gardens within a small space. Eight bamboo blinds were half-rolled up, revealing a chaise lounge by the window, on which was a soft cushion with Suzhou embroidery of peony patterns. The petals embroidered with gold thread rippled slightly in the light, as if they were about to burst out of the cloth.
In the center of the bedroom, a canopy bed resembles a miniature palace. The bedposts are carved from century-old rosewood, with dragon patterns climbing upwards. The Hetian jade screen inlaid at the headboard gleams warmly, and the landscape painting is meticulously depicted using mother-of-pearl inlay. The bed canopy is made of semi-transparent Hangzhou silk, embroidered with twin lotus patterns, which peek through the air as it flutters in the breeze, creating a private sanctuary around the bed.
The warm light from the palace lantern by the bedside poured down like a galaxy. The lady stood under this light, holding a jade wine cup in her hand, smiling as she watched the young man stride towards her. "Yun'er, you've come."
The two attendants who had led the way quietly slipped away.
Yun Yao looked at his wife, his slender fingers involuntarily clenching tightly at his sides. "Madam..." The flickering lamplight fell into his eyes, like a hazy dream.
The lady finished the amber-colored wine in her jade cup and poured herself another cup. She handed the jade cup to Yun Yao and said with a smile, "Yun'er, come, have a drink with me."
Yun Yao forced himself to remain calm. He raised his hand to take the jade cup, but saw that the lady showed no intention of letting go. He looked at her and understood the profound meaning in her eyes. The young man could only lower his head, his lips trembling slightly, and slowly drink the wine from the cup, guided by the lady's hand.
"My good boy..." The lady tenderly supported the boy who was momentarily dizzy.
Yun Yao didn't know what kind of wine it was, nor could he taste anything. His heart was pounding, and his mind felt like fireworks were exploding. He couldn't think of anything at the moment.
Yun Yao felt that he was drunk, and that was all he could do.
His wife's hand slipped inside the hem of his pajamas, her soft fingertips carrying a cool, refreshing touch that stirred his heart. Yun Yao couldn't help but shiver, and he reflexively pressed his wife's hand down.
He struggled in vain, like a bird caught in a trap, or a deer caught in a hunter's snare. He pleaded softly, "Madam..."
The lady's eyes, however, no longer held their usual gentleness, but were as deep as ink. She stroked the young man's beautiful face and asked softly, "Unwilling?"
Yun Yao closed his eyes. He suddenly remembered the drizzling rain outside the window tonight and the eerie night sky that seemed to have no end.
In the silent stillness, he released his grip on his wife's hand, unable to utter a single word.
The lady smiled, tenderly stroking the boy's trembling, flower-petal-like lips, and sighed softly, "Yun'er, I know you're a good child, you're so obedient..."
Before she could finish speaking, the lady's cold lips landed on Yun Yao's trembling lips, her actions as decisive and swift as her infallible commands.
Accompanied by the endless patter of rain outside, the room was filled with a warm, fragrant aroma. The semi-transparent silk bed curtains swayed in the breeze, and the wisps of sandalwood smoke, like an undying dream, enveloped the vibrant, fragrant twin-flowered gauze curtains…
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