Chapter 15 The atmosphere between the two
The night breeze, carrying the coolness of the pool water, brushed against Cui Xiao's burning cheeks, but it was unable to cool the embarrassment that almost burned through him.
It's over! It's completely over! In this... this frivolous way! He actually mistook the Second Prince for a girl and hugged her! He hugged her!
Cui Xiao, Cui Xiao, have all those sharp eyesight and cleverness you were so proud of been thrown away?!
There was dead silence in the pavilion.
The only sounds were the occasional rustling of water by the koi in the pond and Cui Xiao's own heartbeat, which was like a drum.
After a while, a very light, slightly unnatural cough was heard from above my head.
The sound was clear, like the collision of jade, but it also seemed to be tainted with a hint of... embarrassment?
Cui Xiao's heart was in his throat.
"Get up."
Liu Cong's voice was calmer than the clear cough just now, but it still carried a strange, barely perceptible sense of tension.
He looked at the young man on the ground who wanted to curl himself up into a ball. The moonlight outlined his red ears and the tense lines of his back.
The unexpected hug just now, the hot breath and strong arms of the stranger... For those who have been taught etiquette and keep a distance from others since childhood,
For Liu Cong, who had never had such close contact, the impact was no less than Cui Xiao's embarrassment.
He could even clearly recall the warm touch of the other person's fingertips through the fabric, as well as the clean and vigorous breath of a young man.
This strange, out-of-control feeling made him feel a little panicky.
But he is Liu Cong after all, the second prince who can handle himself in the court and has a mind as deep as the sea.
He forced himself to suppress the strange feeling in his heart, and his voice returned to its usual calmness, even with a hint of gentleness that he himself had not noticed?
"What's wrong with saving lives in an emergency? If it weren't for Cui Bandu's timely help, I would have been soaked to the skin by now."
He paused, as if considering his words, his eyes fixed on Cui Xiao's still lowered head.
"It's me...who's standing in the wrong place? Did I scare you?"
Cui Xiao raised his head suddenly and met Liu Cong's eyes, which looked particularly deep in the moonlight.
There was no expected anger, no cold scrutiny, only a trace of lingering astonishment and a kind of... indescribable complex emotion?
And there was a hint of self-mockery and... comfort in those words?
"Your Highness, I dare not!"
Cui Xiao stood up quickly, his face still flushed. He had never lost his composure like this before!
Liu Cong looked at his bewildered and blushing appearance, and the embarrassment in his heart strangely faded a little, and instead a hint of... interest arose?
This young companion who was so logical, calm and composed in refuting everyone in the imperial study, and who had won the emperor's admiration, actually had such a... lively and lovely side in private?
"It's cool here. If Cui Bantu has nothing to do, why not..."
Liu Cong's eyes swept across the stone table and stone bench in the center of the pavilion. "Would you like to sit down and talk?"
He turned around first, walked to the stone bench gracefully and sat down, his movements calm and composed, as if the embarrassment just now had never happened.
Cui Xiao looked at Liu Cong's back. The moon-white figure looked like a banished immortal under the clear light.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart and the heat on his face, then followed and sat down at the other end of the stone table, his posture still a little stiff.
The atmosphere was momentarily stagnant, with only the cool moonlight and the faint glow of the pool water flowing between the two of them.
"Just now...thank you for reading with me, Cui." Liu Cong spoke first, breaking the silence.
His slender fingers unconsciously stroked the cold tabletop, making a soft sound.
"Your Highness, you are too kind. It was I who was reckless..." Cui Xiao said hurriedly, his voice still a little tense.
Liu Cong shook his head slightly, and the corners of his lips seemed to bend up again in that very faint, very shallow arc.
"In a hurry, why should I be reckless? I was just thinking about something and didn't notice the slippery ground."
He paused, his eyes cast towards the shimmering water in the distance, his voice carrying a barely perceptible ethereal
"The water in this palace pond... looks calm, but there's an untold undercurrent beneath. If you're not careful, you could easily fall."
This... seems to have a hidden meaning? Cui Xiao's heart moved slightly, and he looked up at Liu Cong.
In the moonlight, the Second Prince's profile was so perfect it seemed unreal. His long eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow under his eyes, obscuring the emotions in his eyes.
Was he expressing his regret for the recent accident, or was he alluding to the undercurrents in the palace?
Thinking of the bloody incident in Magnolia Hall... Cui Xiao's heartstrings instantly tightened.
"Your Highness is absolutely right."
Cui Xiao responded cautiously
"In times of peace, be prepared for danger; when traveling, observe the water. We must always be cautious. Especially when we are in the center of a whirlpool, we must discern the direction and see the hidden reefs clearly."
His words also carried a hint of temptation.
Liu Cong turned his head, and his clear and deep gaze fell on Cui Xiao's face, with a hint of inquiry and also a hint of... appreciation?
He understood Cui Xiao's hidden meaning. This young man was indeed perceptive.
"Though Cui is a young man, his experience is extraordinary."
Liu Cong's voice softened a bit.
"I heard that before you entered the palace, you studied under a famous doctor? That young doctor who saved you from danger must have been a remarkable person as well."
The topic suddenly turned to himself, Cui Xiao was slightly startled, then said calmly
"Your Highness, I have indeed been blessed by the life-saving grace of Dr. Hu Qing. Although Brother Hu is about the same age as me,
He has superb medical skills, extensive knowledge, and even more rare is his kindness and generosity."
He smiled, and his smile was filled with sincere remembrance of his best friend.
"He often said that a doctor's heart is compassionate. If he sees someone dying and refuses to help, what's the difference between him and a butcher? I deeply admire his pure heart."
"A doctor's heart is compassionate... a pure heart..."
Liu Cong repeated these two words in a low voice, his eyes were dazed for a moment, and then turned into a deep darkness.
In this deep palace, how rare is it to find a pure heart?
When he looked at Cui Xiao, the inquiry in his eyes faded, replaced by a deeper, complex emotion with resonance.
"It is Cui Bandu's blessing to have met such a good friend at the critical moment of life and death."
The atmosphere between the two of them eased a lot unconsciously because of this topic.
Seeing that Liu Cong seemed to have no ill intentions and even revealed some sincerity in his words, Cui Xiao relaxed his guard slightly due to embarrassment.
He began to tell some interesting stories about his time with Hu Qing, such as how Hu Qing complained about the rat spirit in the back mountain of Yaowang Valley.
How to use strange herbs to tease the servants of the Marquis' Mansion, and how to teach him the "life-saving" survival rules of the city seriously...
Liu Cong listened quietly, with a faint smile on his pretty face.
These vivid and down-to-earth stories represent a world he has never been exposed to.
Since he was young, he was required to regulate his every move and think carefully about every word and action. He was surrounded by either serious masters or palace maids who were trying to figure out the emperor's intentions.
When have you ever felt so relaxed and at ease, free to talk about interesting stories?
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