Time flies and it’s New Year’s Eve.
It's cloudy today. Although it's not snowing, it's still very cold.
Chen, however, wore a rabbit-hair crane cloak with plush edges over his robe, with a belt in the middle. Two snow-white tassels hung in front of his chest, trembling slightly when he walked.
The officials in the capital had taken their annual leave two days ago. Since the prince would not attend the court, he did not need to accompany him, and he could go on his morning duty later.
But he always got up early, and now he was sitting beside the charcoal stove, bored, leaning over the fire to warm his hands, staring at the flames in a daze, when he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps in the yard.
As soon as Shen Que turned around, he saw Xu Yuanzhi, who was wearing a red coat, running in from the yard. He was panting and exhaled a stream of white mist: "Sir, someone is looking for you outside."
"How reckless," Shen raised his hand to help him adjust the crooked warm hat on his forehead, and then slowly gestured, "Remember, the inner palace is different from the outside. Even if it is urgent, you can't rush in recklessly. His Highness hates noise and quarrels the most. If you accidentally run into them, even I can't protect you."
This child is very smart and learns sign language very quickly. After only a month or so, he can already understand most of Shenque's sign language.
After Yuanzhi saw him finish his gesture, he nodded and said obediently: "Yuanzhi knows I was wrong. I won't run away again in the future."
After he finished answering, Shen Que asked, "Who did you just say was outside?"
"He's my teacher..." Yuanzhi lowered his voice, paused, and changed his words: "The one who came is Mr. Xu from the opera troupe."
Boss Xu, the young Qingyi in the courtesan's mansion that day, heard that the original owner of the theater fell seriously ill and did not survive the heavy snow, and that young singer suddenly became the new owner of the theater.
Shen Que frowned slightly when he heard this. He had seen how difficult this actor was. Ever since he took Yuanzhi in, the little singer would come to the palace every few days, claiming that he was there to see his nephew. But when he arrived, his eyes were not on Yuanzhi. He always stayed in his room and refused to leave.
But Yuanzhi has been with Sixian for many years, and there is still some friendship between them. It is not easy for him to cut off the relationship and forbid people to come to see the child.
The young lady in green probably knew that he was soft-hearted and easy to talk to, so she came to disturb him again and again.
Seeing that Chen did not respond, Yuan Zhi spoke again cautiously: “If you don’t want to see him, I will go and answer it myself. It will be enough to see him once in the outer mansion.”
Shen reached out and rubbed the top of his head, nodded again, and told him: "Come back early."
Yuanzhi didn't leave in a hurry, but took out a piece of sugar cake wrapped in oil paper from his lapel. The child was very smart. Although Shen Que was not picky about what he ate on weekdays, he could keenly perceive that adults loved sweet food the most.
Especially when eating sugar cakes, a shallow crescent-shaped dimple will appear on the cheek.
He handed the sugar cake to Shen Que's hand, and without waiting for Shen Que to gesture, he turned around and ran away.
Chen was slightly stunned, then picked up the piece of sugar cake which was still slightly hot, brought it half an inch to the tip of his nose, and sniffed it gently. He smelled a very familiar, sweet smell of sugar.
He couldn't help but take a bite, and it was indeed very sweet. He smiled slightly, and a crescent-shaped dimple appeared on his cheek.
After finishing the sugar cakes and boiling the water on the stove, Shen used tweezers to pick up some tea leaves and put them into the porcelain cup. This was the Mengshan tea that His Highness had just given him. It was the tribute from Xichuan this year. It came from the baking room in the palace, and His Highness only gave it to him and Shen Xiangzhi.
Chen was flattered, but regretted that the tea was precious, so he only brewed a little bit each time.
Unexpectedly, just as he finished making the tea, he heard footsteps in the yard again. His door was half open, and when he looked out, he saw three people walking slowly towards him.
The person leading the group was Eleven, and one step behind him was the little actor Sixian. Sixian was holding the hand of a very short boy, who was Yuanzhi.
Yuanzhi lowered his eyes slightly, with the corners of his eyes drooping, looking a little unhappy.
Eleven came into the room carrying a lot of things and was about to put them on the floor. The little actor stepped forward and stopped his hand: "Sir, please be careful - the things in the wooden box are precious, please give them to me!"
His voice was very pleasant and light as that of an oriole, and even when he shouted loudly, he was not annoying.
Seeing Chen looking at him, he smiled and said to him calmly: "I have some free time today, so I came to see Ding Xiang'er and bring you some New Year gifts. Here are a pot of New Year wine, peach charms, spring invitations, a New Year gift box, a wine eaves, and a box of snacks and fruits."
Yuanzhi interrupted in a low voice: "My name is not Ding Xiang'er, my name is Xu Yuanzhi now."
Unfortunately, Si Xian didn't listen to him. She pushed his shoulder and pushed him back: "Don't interrupt, kid. Go away."
As he said that, he opened the exquisite food box and showed it to Shen Que: "Look, this is made by the most skillful sister in the class. You can't buy it outside."
Xu Sixian was wearing a peach pink Taoist robe today, with a rabbit fur collar around her neck and a red plum blossom pinned on her temples. She had no makeup on and her clean face looked like a lotus flower emerging from the water.
However, Shen had never expected that he would bring these things, so he raised his hand and gestured ruthlessly: "You and I are not relatives, you don't need to bring these things, take them back, I don't want them."
The little actor couldn't read sign language, so Eleven deliberately explained for him: "He said he was very happy. Thank you for your help."
Xu Sixian laughed. Although he didn't understand sign language, he knew from the expression and gesture on Shen Que's face that he definitely didn't mean that. However, he was never shy and sat down beside the tea table without hesitation: "It's just a word of trouble, who can't say it? Sir, why don't you invite me to sit down and have some tea."
Shen glared at Eleven, and then looked at Xu Yuanzhi who was standing next to him.
Yuan Zhi was seen tugging at a corner of his jacket awkwardly, and whispered, "Master, Boss Xu said there were too many things, and I, a kid, couldn't carry them, so I had to carry them in myself."
He looked at Eleven again, and Eleven said, "I saw it on the way. It just so happened that I wanted to come and see you, so I helped carry the things over."
Since everyone was here, Chen couldn't ask them to leave, so he had to ask Shiyi and Yuanzhi to sit down and pour them a cup of hot tea.
Eleven waved his hand and said, "I can't. I have formed a group with the criminal department members and they are urging me to come over."
When Shen Que was sending him out, at the gate of the courtyard, Eleven whispered in his ear, smiled obscenely, and asked him, "Why does that little actor come to see you so often?"
Shen took a step away, covered half of his ear, and gestured with his other hand: "Who knows."
Eleven saw that he didn't like to get close to others, so he stopped moving closer to him and just laughed evilly in a low voice, "Look at the way that actor is looking at you, tsk tsk tsk."
However, Shen followed his gaze and looked back. When he turned around, he saw the "Hibiscus Flower" in the room, resting her cheek on her hand and looking at him with eyes full of love.
Shen didn't dare to respond and immediately looked away.
Eleven turned and took a step outside, finally getting serious, and said to him in a somewhat serious tone: "It's just a joke, but His Highness never allowed us to keep prostitutes and sing songs. It's okay to play with them occasionally, but if they really take it seriously, they will peel off your skin and drink your blood. Losing everything is the least of it, and you will also ruin your reputation in vain."
Shen knew all he said. He had never thought of doing anything with this little singer. He just couldn't bear to drive him away because of his sympathy and pity.
"I know," Shen gestured at him, "I won't do anything to him, don't worry."
After seeing Eleven off, Shen walked slowly back into the house. When he reached the door, he saw the actor grabbing Yuanzhi's sleeve and looking at him, then asked him viciously: "You said this was made by the adults for you?"
Yuanzhi nodded timidly.
"What gives you the right?" Xu Sixian became anxious and pulled him hard. Yuanzhi was not as strong as him and was about to fall to his feet.
Fortunately, Shen rushed in in time and hugged the child around the waist. Xu Sixian immediately withdrew her arms, sat on the chair and hugged her arms, complaining angrily: "It's my fault that I gave birth too early. I'm not as lucky as this kid."
He was not very old, and without makeup he still looked very childish, except for a bit of charm in his eyes and eyebrows, which was different from that of ordinary teenagers.
Shen was somewhat helpless and gestured towards him. Xu Yuanzhi beside him translated: "The master said, he said that you should not come here again in the future..."
Before he finished speaking, the little actor rushed over. Yuanzhi seemed to have expected this and quickly hid behind Shen Que.
The two treated Chen Que like a pillar, chasing each other around him. Xu Sixian stretched out her hand to grab his collar and said, "You ungrateful wolf cub, have you forgotten who bought you and your mother from that damn man? Who feeds you and clothes you every day? You even lied and said that the master didn't allow me to come. If I don't slap you a few times, you won't obey me!"
Yuan Zhi dodged and shouted, "I am no longer a member of the troupe. My indenture is in your hands. You can't slap me again."
"Well," Xu Sixian said angrily, "you now look down on the people in our garden. I had to hold back my tears to beg for the money to redeem you and your mother from a eunuch. Do you know how I was beaten that night?"
"Everyone else can criticize me and think I'm dirty," he said, "but you are the only one who doesn't deserve it!"
Chen stretched out his hand to stop her and hooked Xu Sixian's neck from behind, but as soon as he moved, the little actor spun around and softened, leaning into his arms.
The anger between his brows disappeared, and as if he was acting, his eyes suddenly filled with infinite spring love again.
"Be good to me," the little actor looked at him infatuatedly, "I only ask you to treat me the same way you treat Ding Xiang'er, and give me some sincerity, and I will give you everything, okay?"
Shen was still in a daze, but the actor had already put his arms around his back and leaned towards him intimately, with his eyes slightly closed and his head tilted back, obviously asking for his kiss.
Yuanzhi seemed to have seen this kind of scene many times. He hurried out and considerately closed the door for them.
Often at this time, even the toughest man's heart will melt, not to mention that the girl in front of him is not just an ordinary singer, but a popular actress in the theater, and many people are chasing after him and vying to support him.
But Chen is not an ordinary man, he is a calm pool of water, a stone in the deep mountains, he is ignorant of all emotions and desires, only that one person can enlighten him.
So he pushed him away.
Xu Sixian looked at him in disbelief, no man had ever been willing to push him away, but Shen was the first.
He was a little angry. People in their line of work had no self-respect and didn't deserve it. But at this moment, he felt that his only self-respect had been thrown to the ground and shattered.
"Do you know," he stretched out his hand and touched Chen Que's chest, deliberately speaking loudly, "how much silver does it cost to kiss me once?"
But Shen just looked at him without saying a word.
Xu Sixian's voice unconsciously lowered, with tears in her eyes. She held back her tears and turned around to scold him, "You don't know what's good for you!"
He opened the door and ran out, but Shen was only thinking about returning the New Year's gifts he had sent to him, so he didn't chase him immediately.
The door was slightly ajar, but Shen heard the little actor cursing outside: "Who allowed you to eavesdrop here?"
There was another round of beating and scolding, but Shen was afraid that Yuanzhi would be beaten and damaged, so he didn't take all the things and hurriedly chased after him.
Unexpectedly, the actor ran away as soon as he saw him. He could not shout, so he chased him for two steps, but when he saw that he could not catch up, he turned back.
Putting down the things in his hands, Shen went to check Yuanzhi's injuries, only to see two slap marks on his fair and tender cheeks, and a line of nosebleed flowing down, dripping into the snow.
Shen was busy taking a handkerchief to wipe him.
But the child stupidly held out two ingots of silver, which was the money he wanted to pay for buying Polygala tenuifolia. The girl in green asked for a hundred taels, and he didn't bargain. He just gave the money and took the girl back.
Xie Shiguan even scolded him for this, saying that he had only spent five taels of silver to buy him, but now he was cheated out of a hundred taels of silver to buy an actor who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.
"He said he wanted to return the silver to the Lord."
But Shen told him not to talk, picked up a ball of snow and pressed it on his forehead.
The boy secretly looked in the direction where the little actor left and whispered, "He also asked why the adults redeemed me but not him."
"I don't hate him," Yuan Zhi, who had a mouthful of blood, said again, "He is my benefactor. I know he is jealous of me."
He said intermittently: "I am jealous that someone loves me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
