Xie Shiguan sat on the edge of the couch, and with the dim light from the palace lantern on the table, he looked dazedly at the person huddled in the corner at the end of the bed.
The dumb man trembled slightly, treating him as a monster, and refused to even look at him.
That thing... isn't it all over?
He had already changed his ways and had been honest with him. He no longer cared about the mute's escape, and he welcomed him back home in a friendly manner, promising to give him and the kid status and position.
Isn't it obvious whether he cares about him or not?
"What else do you want from me?" King Yan stared at his eyelashes, seeing the slight redness in the corners of his eyes, and suddenly lowered his voice. He didn't sound angry, but instead revealed a bit of boredom. "Hasn't my treatment of you and this kid been good enough?"
The mute lowered his head and said nothing.
Xie Shiguan sneered and asked him through gritted teeth: "Do you have to torture me like this, Chen Que?"
There was still a long silence.
Xie Shiguan's heart was beating fast in his chest. Although he was unwilling to admit it, Man Changshan's death did deal him a heavy blow. After today, there would even be a bunch of messes in the court waiting for him to finish up.
His Highness was so upset that he rushed back to the palace at night, just wanting to hug the mute.
But he just avoided me like this.
The anger was like a pot of boiling water, rising up little by little. But just when the anger was about to reach its peak, the iron pot seemed to have a big hole in it, and the accumulated anger flowed out in an instant.
It was not until this moment that His Highness finally understood that this matter had never passed. Instead, it became a thorn in the mute's heart and a wall between them.
If you don't mention it or touch it on a daily basis, nothing will happen, but it is actually there.
However, Shen never let go of his grudge.
Xie Shiguan would rather he stab himself, see the blood, relieve his anger, and perhaps the scar in his heart will be removed. But the mute refused to complain or hate, and the wound became a callus, wrapping his heart tighter and tighter.
Your Highness suddenly felt very tired.
He stood up, blew out the palace lantern on the table, said nothing, and turned and walked out.
The lights in the house went out and there was silence for a long time.
Shen, who was lying on the couch, huddled in the corner and gasped for a moment. When the heartbeat in his chest gradually slowed down, he leaned over and quickly settled Si Lai down, then walked out of the room.
Under the fragmented winter snow, the faint moonlight cut out a framed piece of canvas under the eaves, and the King of Wild Goose stood in the middle of the picture, motionless.
The night wind blew the hem of his clothes. Although he couldn't see his highness's face, Shen felt inexplicably that even his back revealed a hint of loneliness and forlornness.
He did not dare to go forward, so he could only stand quietly behind His Highness and suffer the cold with him.
It was the first time that Shen saw a lonely shadow on His Highness. Almost at the same time, he remembered the injury on his wrist, and he couldn't help but blame himself.
But he didn't know what happened to him at that time.
The mute thought that his footsteps were so light that His Highness would not notice him. But after a while, he suddenly heard Xie Shiguan in front of him suddenly say, "Go back."
Shen was stunned.
But King Yan suddenly walked down the short steps. Without the shelter of the eaves, the fine snowflakes rubbed against his hair and robes. Then he said in a low voice: "It's cold at night. Why are you standing there like an idiot? Go back to sleep."
But the mute behind refused to move. Seeing that His Highness was about to leave, he lowered his head and followed. Then, so carefully, he took a clean cotton towel and covered the wrist of His Highness that was bitten by him.
He had just held the cotton towel in his hand and let it be warmed by his body temperature. When he touched it, it was dry and had a subtle warmth.
But after such a long time, the blood on the wrist had actually dried up long ago, and even the teeth marks had faded a little. However, Shen didn't know why he had gone to the trouble of sticking it on.
But just by actively extending this hand and lightly pressing on the cotton towel, all the courage he had to sink into the sea was gone.
Only then did Xie Shiguan turn around and look down at his hand.
"It's all dry," he said, "Why wipe it?"
As he said this, he gently pulled his hand back, but Chen didn't dare to chase it, so the cotton towel slipped onto the snow.
He saw the mute's head lowering lower and lower, as if he was looking at the cotton towel that fell on the ground, but what was there to see?
Xie Shiguan knew that he was in a bad mood tonight. Every time he looked at the mute, he felt more depressed. Therefore, he did not plan to stay any longer. He pursed his lips and said coldly, "Go back to the house."
After saying that, he walked out of the yard in the snow.
Thus, the mute was the only one left in the Lansheng Courtyard, still standing there in a daze. The night wind blew, bringing with it a bone-chilling chill.
Shen slowly bent down and picked up the handkerchief.
He knew that he seemed to have made His Highness angry, but he didn't know what to do. He was so stupid that his cautious flattery and gentle touch just now were the boldest ways of seeking peace he could think of.
Unfortunately, His Highness... doesn't seem to like it.
The next day, Maochu.
It was still dark when Shen got up. He drowsily lit a low candle and then rummaged through the suitcase on the long table.
On the table was not only his suitcase, but also His Highness's heavy and thick red lacquered suitcase with a gold-inlaid lotus pattern, which pushed his own shabby suitcase with peeling paint aside.
For fear of waking Silai, Shen Que moved very gently. He opened the suitcase, took out the official uniform he had worn a year ago, and gently shook it out.
This dark green official robe looked as if it had been washed not long ago, and it did not smell like it had been left for a long time. However, Shen could not help but feel a little strange. He was not in the palace, so who would have the time to wash these clothes for him?
Shen Que originally wanted to change into his official robes, but he was unsure of His Highness's intention. Besides, if he went to the training ground for morning training, who should he ask to help watch over him?
As soon as they arrived in Kyoto, the wet nurse was sent back by Shen Xiangzhi. Since they were going to choose a wet nurse for the young master, she must be selected from Kyoto. Knowing her background and details was the first step. After a lot of preparation and selection, it would probably take several days of effort.
If it wasn't necessary, Shen didn't want to leave Si Lai to the care of a wet nurse, but since he had returned to the palace, how could he stay in the room every day to feed the child?
By then, I'm afraid even the guards and servants in the mansion will look down on him.
Just as he was hesitating, Yuan Zhi suddenly knocked on the door. Having just been taught a lesson by Shen Luo, his voice consciously lowered: “Sir, are you awake?”
Shen went to answer the door. As soon as the door opened, Yuanzhi came in with a basin of hot water. He saw the bed curtains were drawn and thought Xie Shiguan was there, so he lowered his voice: "Commander Shen asked me to come and tell you something. He said that your leg injury has not healed yet, so you'd better rest and don't have to get up early to go to the training ground before the beginning of spring."
"As for what will happen after the spring, I still have to listen..." He glanced at the couch unconsciously, "His Royal Highness Prince Yan's arrangements."
But Shen saw that he was so cautious, so he raised his hand and gestured: “Your Highness is not here.”
Yuanzhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and his back was no longer so tense. Glancing at the official robe hanging on Chen Que's arm, the slave frowned, as if in pain, and muttered in complaint, "During the time when the master was away, I was exhausted."
Shen lowered his eyes and looked at him.
Yuanzhi knew that Prince Yan was the master of the entire mansion, so being ordered around by him was not a big deal.
But in order to regain some intimacy with Chen Que, whom he had not seen for a long time, Yuan Zhi continued: "When the prince lived in the courtyard, he often soiled the clothes left by the adults, and he was unwilling to let me send them to the outer palace for the maids to wash, so I had to wash them myself."
"I'm done," Yuan Zhi complained to him in a half-coquettish tone, with a distressed look on his face, "Your Highness is going to have a cold face again and say nothing. Suddenly, a teacup flew towards my head. Fortunately, I dodged it in time."
Shen was stunned, not quite understanding what he meant, and slowly moved his hands: "What, dirty?"
"Yeah, that's it..." Yuanzhi grew up in a tile house, and he probably understood these things more deeply than Shen Que. The actors and followers in the troupe didn't take it seriously and said all kinds of dirty words in private.
But it’s different in this palace. Some people think dirty things in their hearts, but they may not say them out loud.
But the mute in front of him was not like that. He was really confused about this and was not pretending to be stupid. Even though "Lin Xie" had rudely shattered his innocence, he was still more dull than Yuan Zhi in these matters and was more like an inexperienced child than him.
In front of him, Yuanzhi always felt a little embarrassed, and explained awkwardly: "It's just that kind of thing that men always have to think about when they get older."
"There is not even a concubine in this mansion. There is no one to marry His Highness, so he has no choice but to ruin those clothes."
The boy spoke frankly, but the person who listened to him blushed.
"Don't say such things again in the future," Shen Que pedantically instructed him, "and don't tell anyone else about this matter."
Yuan Zhi nodded: "Except for you, my Lord, how dare I tell anyone else? If I say one more word, Your Highness will pull out my tongue!"
In this palace, Yuanzhi was most afraid of Prince Yan. Shen Xiangzhi and his son were just a little fierce, and they were also careful when teaching him a lesson. But if His Highness just moved his lips, his life might be in danger.
As he was speaking, the kid on the couch suddenly started making a noise.
Shen hurried back to the couch, reached out to touch the kid's body, and then reached for the clean cotton cloth with ease.
He was changing the baby's diaper, and Yuanzhi also watched attentively beside him, and asked him as he watched: "Master Chen Luo said that this is the young master, the blood of your highness, but I heard that some people outside said that this baby was born by you."
Shen was shocked.
But Yuanzhi said again: "Those people always like to make up stories, saying that you, sir, had an affair with a prostitute from Pingkangli..."
The words that followed were not very pleasant to hear, so he stopped here and did not continue.
"Oh, by the way," Yuan Zhi suddenly added, "Lord Chen Luo also said that after the morning training, he will bring a few guards to our courtyard to sit for a while. They are all close friends. He told you not to panic and just treat it as a daily chat."
Since returning home yesterday, Shen Que has been staying in the house, not daring to go anywhere, for fear of meeting acquaintances in the mansion, afraid that they would ask him why he ran away and the life experience of this kid.
His master and senior brothers could tolerate his imperfections and forgive his mistakes, but others might not.
But he couldn't possibly hide away and disappear from people all his life.
Four quarters of the morning.
Shen Luo indeed only brought a few people with him, including Eleven, Ge Da, and two friendly-looking guards. They were also casual acquaintances of Shen in the past. Every time Shen Luo organized a drinking party, he would definitely bring these people along.
Ge Zheng was holding a little girl in his arms, sucking her fingers, her bright black eyes darting around. The girl was wearing a pink cotton jacket, her cheeks were rosy, and she looked quite cute and naive.
When they first came back to his courtyard, the two men were somewhat restrained, but Ge Zheng was a rough man. As soon as he entered the house, he said, "I heard that you were back, so I wanted to come and see you yesterday. But Chen Luo insisted that you must be tired from the long journey, so he wanted to wait until you rested for a day before allowing us to come."
Seeing Chen looking at the little girl in his arms, he smiled again and said, "The little girl is growing fast. The last time you held her, she was still a little kid who only knew how to worry. Now she can walk a few steps."
After saying that, he put the little girl down in his arms and urged her, "Anu, let's take a few steps to show the uncles."
The little girl groped forward a few steps, as if she was afraid, but she had just learned to walk and had not yet learned how to turn around. She couldn't turn around at the moment, and her grandfather behind her refused to help her, so she had to bite the bullet and continue walking forward. She threw herself into the arms of Chen Que's leg and refused to move anymore.
Shen leaned over to look at her. The child had grown up a little and was much cuter than before she was one year old. She wore two small silver bracelets on her white wrists that looked like lotus roots, and a longevity lock on her chest. When she walked, the silver bells swung and rang softly.
"This is the gift you and Shen Luo gave her last year. Her mother has been keeping it and was reluctant to give it to her. It just so happens that the New Year's Day is coming soon, so she brought her here today to meet this little brother, so she put it on her. The little girl is so vain that she wanted her mother to hold her for the whole morning and look at herself in the bronze mirror three or four times, but it was not enough."
Everyone in the room laughed.
Ge Dake treasures his little girl very much, and he seems to be showing off deliberately. After listening to everyone laughing, he asks the little girl to call him "Ye ye".
The atmosphere suddenly became lively. Maybe Shen Luo had reminded them in advance, but no one in the room looked at him and Si Lai with scrutiny, nor did they ask the in-depth questions he had imagined. However, Shen's calm heart relaxed a little.
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