When he got up in the morning, Yuanzhi went to the training ground to ask for leave for him, but Chen really couldn't get up. As a result of a hangover and a night of indulgence, he felt worse than catching a cold. It seemed that all the bones in his body were falling apart, and it hurt to move at all.
Lin Xie is a bastard. In the second half of the night yesterday, the alcohol gradually wore off, but Shen still retained some consciousness. He pushed the man's chest, asking him to get out, but Lin Xie refused and left everything in his stomach in a nasty way.
Although he had heard from the doctor before that he was underdeveloped and would have difficulty in having children in the future with such a complex and incomplete body, he was still afraid. He climbed up by holding on to the bed frame and went to the yard to fetch water for a bath.
Just as he put on his coat, he heard someone knocking on the door. Then Yuan Zhi came in with a bucket of hot water, yawning and asking him, "Sir, where are you going?"
Shen was also a little surprised, raised his hand and asked him: "Who asked you to come?"
It's still dark now and the children are sleepy, so how can they get up?
"A gentleman came to see me just now and asked me to get some hot water." He replied.
There was no need to guess, Shen knew who the "master" he was talking about was. He couldn't help but find it a little funny, not knowing whether he was laughing at the man or at himself.
After leaning on the couch for a while, Shen changed into a dark robe and put on a rabbit fur collar to cover the marks on his neck.
After morning exercises, he had to report to the prince as usual. It was a rare day of sunshine, and the warm spring sun shone on him, but he only felt cold, bone-chillingly cold.
Shen walked into the prince's bedroom as usual. The scent of soothing incense had not yet dissipated, and all the candles were extinguished. Only a small window was open in the hall, and the spring light fell in, outlining a circle of golden outline in Xie Shiguan's loose hair.
"Didn't you go to the parade ground today?" Xie Shiguan unfolded a scroll of painting in his hand and spoke in a chatty tone.
Shen nodded.
Xie Shiguan looked at him with a half-smile: "When did you learn to be lazy, Ah Que?"
Shen raised his hand and was about to explain, but he heard the prince say again: "Come over and talk."
So he had to stop and walked up to Xie Shiguan. The prince smiled, then hooked his hand around his waist and pulled him onto his legs.
Chen was caught off guard and was pulled into his arms. His lower body was already rubbed by the dirty fabric, and now he was tightly surrounded by the scent of Chen from the prince's body, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
He wanted to get up, but Xie Shiguan held him down by the waist: "This couch is so small, if you don't sit on my lap, do you want me to get up and give you my seat?"
What he said made no sense, but he was too stupid to find any words to refute it.
Seeing that he had stopped struggling, Xie Shiguan reached out and lightly touched the painting on the table with his index finger: "This is a painting of Guanyin by Wu Daozi. People at that time said that he was 'the master of painting, with Wu's belt facing the wind and Cao's clothes emerging from the water'. What do you think?"
Shen Que could not read a single word and had never seen many paintings and calligraphy, so how could he appreciate or judge a painting? He could only see that the Guanyin in this painting was lifelike, so he thought it must be a good painting.
So he turned slightly and signed to the prince: "I think... the painting is very good."
Xie Shiguan smiled with his lips curled, intending to tease him, and continued to ask: "What's the best way?"
Shen was speechless. After searching his brain, he could only say: "Very good, very true."
"Yes," Xie Shiguan said, "I think the Guanyin image in this painting looks a bit like you. Since you like it, I will give it to you."
Shen was flattered and confused. This was an authentic work of Wu Daozi, worth a fortune. He had done nothing, so how could he deserve such a good thing?
He watched Xie Shiguan roll up the painting, push it into the painting tube, and finally forcefully stuff it into his arms, and asked him, "Why are you standing there? Don't you like it?"
Shen quickly shook his head, pursed his lips, put the painting tube on the table, raised his hand and gestured: "Too expensive..."
"I'll give it to you," Xie Shiguan pressed his hand down, very domineering, "I didn't ask you whether you wanted it or not."
After collecting the scroll, Xie Shiguan spread a piece of rice paper on the desk, took a small white jade wolf hair brush from the pen holder, dipped a little ink on the inkstone, and held it up as if to sink it.
Shen took the pen somewhat bewilderedly. This was the first time in his life that he held a pen. He didn't know how to hold it, so he just held it in his hand like chopsticks.
Xie Shiguan seemed to be in a good mood today. Noticing that he was holding the pen incorrectly, he corrected him in a low voice. It was rare for the prince to be so patient and gentle.
Shen was a little stunned, and he tilted his head to secretly look at His Highness's face with his peripheral vision. Xie Shiguan noticed his gaze and covered the back of his hand with his right hand: "Don't be distracted, look ahead."
Shen turned back quickly, but his heart was still beating wildly. The prince wanted to teach him calligraphy, which he would not allow in the past.
The prince could easily use an illiterate mute, but the same could not be said for a literate mute.
The staff in the mansion were eloquent, and even his colleagues were children chosen from good families. Although they were not good at poetry and writing, they had all been educated, and none of them was as illiterate as him.
It would be a lie to say I'm not envious.
But now Xie Shiguan held his hand and taught him to write his name stroke by stroke.
However, Shen did not dare to be distracted again, staring at the rice paper in front of him with burning eyes, but he heard Xie Shiguan slowly moving his hands and leaning close to his ear: "There is a famous doctor in Xichuan who can bring the dead back to life."
Shen was slightly stunned.
"Marquis Wu'an still owes me a favor," Xie Shiguan said slowly, "The governor sitting above is also an old acquaintance of mine. On the day of the incident, he immediately invited this medical saint to come over. Moreover, he is Shen Xiangzhi's son, so he is very concerned about it. The people he sent over are those he trusts."
"Shen Luo can't die."
These words sounded like comfort, and he didn't need to explain all this to him. However, seeing this mute worried about this matter without a smile on his face, the prince felt very annoyed.
To Shen Que, Xie Shiguan's rare warmth and kindness almost sounded like coaxing.
The heating in the hall was too strong, and Chen was dressed warmly today. A little sweat appeared on the tip of his nose, and his palms were slightly wet. Being held like this by the prince made him feel even more uncomfortable.
Xie Shiguan seemed not to notice his embarrassment. He put one arm around his waist and then deliberately whispered in his ear, "It's getting warmer today, a rare sunny day. Why are you wearing a collar?"
Shen's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't hold the pen steadily to begin with, and when he heard him whispering in his ear, his ears turned red and his hands couldn't help but tremble. The dot under the "令" in the word "羽" (Ling) moved crookedly, and the entire word was ruined.
"How come you can hold a knife well but can't hold a pen?" Xie Shiguan laughed, "You're so stupid."
However, Shen was too nervous at the moment and didn't hear the elusive ambiguity hidden in his last sentence.
He just felt that he was so stupid and regretted it so much. It was the first time Xie Shiguan taught him how to write, but he wrote the prince's name so ugly.
Xie Shiguan didn't seem angry at all. He crumpled up the piece of waste paper, threw it aside, and opened a book for him to copy.
Shen was also studious. Whenever the prince pointed out a word, he would copy it carefully and earnestly, then tilt his head to look at Xie Shiguan and ask him to read the word.
Xie Shiguan smiled and taught him how to read patiently.
But when he was writing and reading, Shen suddenly found something wrong. Although he could not read, he was not stupid. If he read this line of words together, it would be: "'The willow waist is full of spring, the cherry mouth is slightly panting, the starry eyes are hazy with sweat dripping on the fragrant jade, the soft chest is rippling with dew drops like a peony heart.'"
How can such erotic and vulgar words be like a serious book?
Seeing his hesitation, Xie Shiguan smiled even more happily, turned to the cover of the book, and deliberately slowed down his speech: "Let me teach you the title of the book again. Listen carefully, these three characters are gold, bottle, and plum."
Although Shen Que was illiterate, he had heard of this book. It was Shen Luoshiyi and his friends who read it secretly under their pillows at night. He understood from seeing them doing that this must be a pornographic book.
Now after hearing the words here, I am more certain of this guess.
His face turned red again. Xie Shiguan had always been a heretic. It would be strange if he was taught to read seriously.
Shen didn't dare to get angry, he just gently pushed the book aside.
"Are you not willing to practice this one?" Xie Shiguan saw his movements, with a half-smile on his face, and then saw him nod, so he considerately changed the book for him.
Chen still couldn't understand the words on the book, but when he flipped a few pages, he actually found a picture. The picture was drawn in fine brushwork, and in the picture there were two men undressing and lying on the grass among the flowers... Not only were their postures lewd, but even the place where they were having sex was drawn in great detail.
"Both are line drawings," Xie Shiguan joked, "and I think this one is better than Wu Daozi's."
Shen Que quickly covered the book. As for what was inside, he didn't dare to read on.
"Why don't you watch it anymore?" He looked at Chen's evasive gaze and approached him little by little, "Isn't it good to watch?"
Shen quickly shook his head, and then heard him sigh softly, as if with regret: "Such a good book, how could you not like it?"
But Shen couldn't bear to see him sad. Even if the sadness in the prince's words was only one part true and nine parts false, he had to bite the bullet and said in sign language: "I like it."
"Really?" Xie Shiguan narrowed his eyes slightly, and this time his smile was very genuine. "Then I will reluctantly give up all these books and give them to you. Go back and review two pages every day. Come back in the morning and I will test you."
He naturally took it as a reward from the prince, but Shen's smile was quite forced, and it sounded like crying.
After Xie Shiguan finished speaking, he stood up and let Shen take his place. He then stood beside him and stared at the mute practicing calligraphy. He saw how he held the pen awkwardly, his lips and teeth slightly parted, looking a bit dull and stupid.
His Highness has been refusing to attend court recently, and has not even looked at the memorials handed to him, as if he has turned a blind eye to what is happening outside the window from now on.
It was a rare opportunity for him to have some free time, but he was on sick leave after all, so he still had to pretend to be nice. He couldn't go to the Huafang Restaurant, and he had just been poisoned by this mute recently.
He summoned Yu Kongqing over last night. Obviously, the man was very much to his liking, but he could not be moved. He kept comparing him to the little mute in his mind, and felt that he was unromantic in every way, pretty but vulgar.
The mute was halfway through writing when he suddenly raised his head, put down his pen, and asked him carefully, "Your Highness, how do you write the word '落'?"
If he could read, what he would want most is to write a reply letter to Shen Luo.
Xie Shiguan was a little unhappy, but his unhappiness was never written on his face. He just said sarcastically, "I don't know."
Shen, however, looked at him in confusion.
"This prince has not read much, I don't know what's wrong?"
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