Chapter Forty-Nine
As it turned out, Zhong Zihe was truly a genius. He had his embroiderers work through the night to make over a thousand sachets, which sold out completely on the eve of the Shangsi Festival.
Si Yanmo and the others were forced to stay, but the one Zhou Yanqing was holding was not.
She had originally planned to give one away casually, but looking at the half-finished embroidery she had spent half a day embroidering at her sister's place, she remembered what she had said that day: "It's stained with blood, does that make me seem more sincere?"
It's all stained with blood, it's such a waste to just throw it away like this!
She had promised to help Zhou Yanqing avoid disaster, and this sachet was also a kind of blessing; let's just consider it a vow.
With that in mind, she found a jasmine flower pattern and embroidered it onto the flower, but it still looked terrible, so she locked it up.
Just now, for some reason, perhaps because she was injured and unwilling to have embroidered for nothing, or perhaps because she couldn't bear to see Zhou Yanqing's pitiful eyes, she still took it out.
"If you think it's ugly, then..."
Seeing that Zhou Yanqing remained silent for a long time, she assumed that he did not like it and planned to take it back.
"Not ugly at all! What's ugly about it!"
Zhou Yanqing immediately clipped the sachet to her waist, as if afraid it would be snatched away.
A faint scent of jasmine wafted from the unique aroma of mugwort, lingering around his waist, just like on the day of the palace banquet when Si Yanmo nestled in his arms.
The fragrance of the flowers had lingered on his clothes many times before, and now it had completely permeated his being, becoming a part of him.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanqing smiled, her fingertips tracing the patterns on the sachet.
What's wrong with it? She embroidered it by hand; even a simple cross is beautiful!
Looking at the man's slightly silly smile, Si Yanmo frowned.
I don't know what he's so happy about.
"How ugly!"
Zhou Yanqing shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the sachet, as if it were some rare treasure.
All he knew was that this purse was unique to him; no one else had it.
At least none of them put this much effort into it!
"Okay, time for bed."
Si Yanmo didn't want to stand there like an idiot with him any longer, so she decided to go back to bed to rest.
At that moment, the man grabbed her wrist, his ears turning red: "Wait, I also have a gift for you."
"It can't be another one..."
Si Yanmo felt a headache coming on just thinking about the "gift" this person mentioned; she guessed it was something terrifying again.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding has been cleared up, so she'll just treat it as a spectacle.
Zhou Yanqing took out the box, opened it, and a silver bell lay inside.
This bell is exquisitely carved, and even its sound is clearer than others; it is obviously very valuable.
After buying it at the jewelry store, he was focused on comparing it with Zhong Zihe's, and always felt that Si Yanmo wouldn't like this bell, so he didn't give it to her. Now that he's taking it out, he's actually not sure what to expect.
He carefully observed Si Yanmo's expression. "Do you...like it?"
Si Yanmo's eyes lit up. She picked up the bell from the box, shook it, and when she heard the clear sound, her eyebrows curved into a smile, and she couldn't put it down.
"So beautiful!"
This was the first time Zhou Yanqing had ever given her something that truly touched her heart.
She has loved collecting strange and unusual things since she was a child, especially bells that jingle when they are shaken. She always liked to wear them at home and had a whole cabinet full of all kinds of bells, which she would wear every day.
She had bought them after marrying Zhou Junsong in her previous life, but was told that a princess should be elegant and ladylike and should not wear things that children like, as it would be unrefined.
"Um... can I wear it normally?"
She hesitated, holding the bell, wondering whether to wear it or not. After all, she was now a princess and perhaps should act like a lady.
"certainly!"
She liked it, and Zhou Yanqing was overjoyed; how could she not let her wear it?
"I thought the Princess Consort of Qin would also be dignified and elegant, and wouldn't be able to wear these things."
"How could that be? I am the King of Qin. If my queen doesn't even have the freedom to wear bells, what kind of queen am I?"
The puppy's tail was held high, waiting for its owner to praise it.
Si Yanmo seemed to understand this time, and tentatively reached out to pat his head.
As her fingertips ran through her fluffy hair, only two words remained in her mind: So soft!
Just like a puppy!
I wanted to do this when I was combing his hair before!
When her hand fell, Zhou Yanqing felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He felt no anger as the King of Qin who had been offended, but only joy.
He gently rubbed his hand against the girl's palm, then pulled her hand to his cheek, his eyes softening with tenderness, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Amo..."
"What...did you call me?"
Si Yanmo was startled for a moment by this unfamiliar form of address. She subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly, unwilling to let her go.
"May I call you... Amo?"
He probed, but his grip tightened, his eyes filled with aggression.
His grip wasn't heavy, nor did it hurt. Si Yanmo didn't pull back, and a blush crept onto her face.
The bright moonlight shone through the paper window, outlining the silhouettes of the young couple.
"You...can call out if you want."
"Then...Amo?"
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhou Yanqing withdrew his hand in dissatisfaction, pulled her into his arms, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Amo~"
"Sigh—" Si Yanmo sighed helplessly, knowing she couldn't escape.
The other person, like a child who had just received candy, happily called out again, "Amo!"
"Why!"
"Amo! Amo! Amo!"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Honestly, how childish!
It's just a name.
It's just a name, but why did her face seem to be burning up, getting hotter and hotter...?
——
At night, the bump on her head would throb every now and then, and Si Yanmo couldn't sleep. So she simply told Zhou Yanqing about the methods for dealing with spies that she had heard from her sister.
Zhou Yanqing was happy to keep her company, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to the person on the bed say one thing after another.
I didn't realize it before, but now I find her voice so beautiful.
Like a kitten, you never get tired of listening to it.
As she got more into the conversation, Si Yanmo stopped lying down and instead propped her chin up on her hand and lay down on the edge of the bed.
A young couple lay on top of each other, chatting not about romance, but about national governance, which made Consort Qin, who was eavesdropping outside, shake her head.
His own son makes it sound so nice, saying he and his wife are deeply in love, but instead of doing anything productive at night, he brings home all the work he did during the day to chat about.
It seems she's still too young; she should lend a hand...
The two chatted casually, and before long, Si Yanmo's eyelids began to droop, and she fell asleep by the bedside.
When Zhou Yanqing heard that she had stopped making a sound, she carefully sat up and peered at the girl's sleeping face by the moonlight.
So good...
Seeing that the girl's head was getting heavier and heavier and was about to hit the edge of the bed, he reached out and caught her, helping her back to bed. But he couldn't help but touch the girl's smooth skin.
Maybe falling in love with her isn't so bad!
With that thought in mind, he sat by the bed, gazing at the girl's sleeping face, and before he knew it, he too had drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he saw that scene again, but this time it was different; he wasn't hurt, and he was embracing his wife...
The bright moon descended the mountain as the man drifted into his dream, and the morning sunlight rose and peeked through the cracks in the window, gathering on Zhou Yanqing's face and piercing him awake.
He subconsciously turned his head away to avoid the sunlight, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Si Yanmo. Just that one glance made his heart feel like a drum was beating endlessly.
He could almost hear the "bang bang bang" sound.
The man instinctively covered his chest.
Fortunately, the person in front of him was still asleep. He tiptoed out of bed, changed his clothes, opened the door, and then carefully closed it again.
He instructed Wu Guan, "The princess is still resting; do not let anyone disturb her."
After giving all the instructions, he happily headed to the military camp, intending to try out the method Si Yanmo had mentioned the night before.
The strange-looking sachet at her waist was particularly eye-catching, catching the attention of Sano, who was traveling with her. "Did Sister Si give this to you?"
"certainly."
Sano's words only made the man more smug. He picked up the sachet and stroked the patterns on it repeatedly, as if it were some precious treasure.
Sano couldn't help but feel disdain. Could this ugly thing be something Sister Si was using to fob him off? He actually quite liked it!
Zhou Yanqing caught his expression out of the corner of her eye and immediately retorted, "You're too young to understand."
They don't understand how important things made with care by a girl's family are.
Sano sneered inwardly: He doesn't understand, he doesn't understand how people can be so easily blinded by women.
——
Si Yanmo woke up quickly and realized that the sun was already high in the sky and Zhou Yanqing was nowhere to be seen.
When she came out after changing her clothes, she ran into Consort Qin, who still didn't have a good look on her face. "The merchant's daughter has no manners. What time is it? Don't you know you should get up early to serve your husband when he gets dressed and has his meal? You, on the other hand, get up later than your husband."
Si Yanmo wasn't annoyed; she just chuckled.
Over the past few days, she has come to realize that Consort Qin is just someone who takes advantage of others.
The more you argue with her, the more she'll stop; if you pretend to be clueless, there's nothing she can do.
She was already the Princess Consort of Qin, and it was a marriage bestowed upon her by the very Emperor of the South whom she had longed for. What could the Emperor do to her?
Let her talk; it's not like it'll hurt her.
Consort Qin was even angrier when she saw that Si Yanmo was ignoring her, but as Si Yanmo had expected, there was nothing she could do, so she turned and left.
Seeing that this trick worked, Si Yanmo happily went to have her breakfast.
Oh, no, it should be lunchtime now.
After the meal, she found Zhao Wan and asked her about her condition in detail. She examined her injuries and found that they were all minor superficial wounds that had been treated and were not serious.
Zhao Wan was somewhat at a loss for words because of her concerned expression.
With Wei Jingzhong, you wouldn't even ask a question if you were injured or dead, let alone seek medical help.
Si Yanmo noticed her unease, took her hand, and said softly, "Since you saved me, you are my benefactor. You don't need to treat me like a princess or a shaman. Just treat me as a friend."
Zhao Wan was flattered and overwhelmed, "How can this be, I..."
"Why not?" Si Yanmo interrupted her, "If my savior were to be too polite to me, it would be too much for me!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Just call me Mo Li."
Si Yanmo always felt that the title of "Princess Consort" was awkward.
She was going to divorce Zhou Yanqing sooner or later; she was more like a staff member living in Zhou Yanqing's mansion than a princess.
Just last night...
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