Chapter 55 The Duke's Unparalleled Talent
Sensing something was amiss, Ye Mingzhu immediately said sincerely, "I was being presumptuous. Your Excellency is a man of extraordinary talent; I believe you can compose a poem in seven steps, so you don't need to bother proving yourself."
Sheng Yunche glanced down at her and said coldly, "Too late."
Ye Mingzhu: "..."
She thought that given Sheng Yunche's character, there was no way he would write any serious poems for her to see, and sure enough... he really was quite unserious.
[The gauze is lightly loosened to worship the moon goddess, and the snow-covered mountains are adorned with vermilion fruits.]
Tonight, the Heavenly Weaver Girl must envy me; my painted eyebrows, so deep and light, surpass the Milky Way.
Sheng Yunche's calloused fingers traced lines on her palm, his movements unhurried and deliberate, but his eyes remained fixed on her.
By the time she realized it, she had already recited the poem in her mind and, damn it, remembered it perfectly!
Oh no!
She forcefully pulled her hand back and rubbed her palms vigorously with the quilt, as if that would wipe away the tingling itch in her palms, but her face had already turned red uncontrollably.
"Are you embarrassed already?" Sheng Yunche chuckled, pressing his advantage further. "I wrote about praying for skill under the moon and eating clever foods. What were you thinking?"
"you……"
"You're right, I am indeed a prodigy. If you're not satisfied, to make the most of this beautiful time, I can compose another poem..."
"You've finally stopped!" Ye Mingzhu hurriedly covered his lips with her hand, and because she was moving so fast, she bumped into his arms without realizing it. She scolded, "You're not allowed to write poetry anymore!"
When she pounced on him, Sheng Yunche simply pulled her into his arms with one hand and laughed loudly.
The four-poster bed started shaking!
He held Ye Mingzhu in his arms, her palms pressed against his trembling chest. She took a deep breath and chose to change the subject between fighting back and pretending not to hear.
"Where did you find these gardenias today?" she asked, looking up at the gardenias.
"Guess?" Sheng Yunche smiled and reached out to pat her head, as if approving of her asking such a question.
Ye Mingzhu felt something was wrong again.
Why would such a simple question make her feel uneasy?
Just as she was about to change the subject, Sheng Yunche's voice rang out: "On the way back to the villa, I saw a gardenia tree and thought it looked just like you, so I broke off a branch for you."
"Like me?" Ye Mingzhu asked in surprise.
When ordinary people use flowers to describe people, don't they usually use plum blossoms, peonies, and herbaceous peonies?
How come she's a gardenia?
Then, she heard Sheng Yunche say something in a very calm voice that made her uneasy.
“Yes, just like you.” His gaze lingered on her eyes and brows as he gently rubbed her earlobe, saying fearlessly, “Fragrant, soft, white, just like you.”
Ye Mingzhu: "...?!"
Why wasn't she surprised?
Her face was burning hot. As Sheng Yunche leaned down on her, she pressed her slender white finger to his lips, pushing him away slightly, and said, "My lord, I have something important to tell you. The second young master of Minister Zhang's household, Zhang Shuheng..."
If we talk about something serious, this person should become more serious, right?
...
When Ye Mingzhu woke up the next day, she habitually looked to the side and found that the other half of the bed was empty.
Touching the bamboo mat, it felt cool and quiet, indicating that the person had been gone for a while.
But there was a letter pressed down on his pillow by a brocade box.
Ye Mingzhu took it out and saw a poem written on it in a flamboyant style:
Two stars meet in the heavens, a harmonious couple lives on earth. They envy not the distant Milky Way, but only wish for a long and happy life together.
Finally, this is a proper poem.
Upon opening the brocade box, she found a jade bracelet of exceptional quality inside. She took it out and held it up to the light; its shimmering green color was as beautiful as a pool of spring water.
Ye Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes curved unconsciously, but when she got out of bed, the soft fabric of her bodice rubbed against her chest and caused pain, and her smile suddenly froze.
Another...another broken skin from kissing?!
Is that person a dog?!
Last night, after she told him about Zhang Shuheng, he did kiss her for a while, but at that time the skin wasn't broken yet...
Did he bully her again after she fell asleep?
Ye Mingzhu bit her lip, full of doubt.
...
morning.
The guests who came to attend the Qiqiao Banquet all took their leave. Ye Mingzhu saw off the last group of guests and returned to her room to rest. She was already covered in a fine sweat.
After taking a shower and changing into dry clothes, she felt like she had come back to life.
Just as she was drinking refreshing mung bean juice, Yanzhi, who was in charge of keeping an eye on Liu Rumei, arrived.
"Have those two made any progress these past two days?" Ye Mingzhu asked.
“No,” Yanzhi said. “Ever since our unpleasant parting, Sheng Huai’an hasn’t gone to see Liu Rumei. He’s been reading in his study these past two days.”
What was Liu Rumei's reaction?
"She didn't react otherwise, and didn't seem anxious."
Ye Mingzhu seemed to be deep in thought.
Based on her understanding of Sheng Huai'an, he would at most give Liu Rumei the cold shoulder, and it was impossible for him to really stop looking for her... Liu Rumei probably thought so too, which was why she was so calm.
Yanzhi then reported, "However, these past few days Liu Rumei has been obsessed with making incense, and has sent her maid to buy incense several times. I think her incense-making skills are very proficient, so she must have done it often before."
"Incense making?" Ye Mingzhu asked immediately. "Is it incense that is harmful to the body? If she is proficient in incense making, the incense balls in Sheng Huai'an's sachet are very likely made by her."
“No.” Yanzhi shook her head and said in a calm and objective tone, “The main function of that incense is to arouse love. It is generally used for the pleasure of couples in their private parts. It is not harmful to people. She is probably just in heat.”
Ye Mingzhu: "..."
Okay.
However, could it be that Sheng Huai'an's obsession with Liu Rumei in his previous life was also due to the aphrodisiac?
She instructed Yanzhi: "Keep a close eye on her from now on. If she does anything harmful, come and tell me immediately."
"Yes," Yanzhi replied.
Ye Mingzhu continued, "Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei are arguing, which is wasting my time. I have another matter for you to handle. So, find a chance to let Jia Shi hear some gossip..."
After Jia recovered from her injuries, she had nothing to do, so let's have her give Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei some excitement.
Yanzhi accepted the order and left.
Baozan asked Ye Mingzhu, "Miss, Jia Shi can't keep secrets. If she suspects that Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei are having an affair, she will definitely make it known and alarm the two of them. Aren't you afraid that Sheng Huai'an is too timid and will simply break up with Liu Rumei?"
"No way," Ye Mingzhu laughed. "Some men have a weakness: the more taboo something is, the more exciting it is, the harder it is for them to give up. When he senses Jia's suspicion, Sheng Huai'an will definitely be afraid at first, but after suppressing it for a while, he will be aroused and crave it even more."
"Is that so?" Baozan asked thoughtfully, looking puzzled. "Why are men so strange? They sound like idiots."
Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle, and playfully pinched her nose: "You'll understand when you find your Mr. Right."
"..." Baozan was so embarrassed that she punched her with her fist, "Ruyi, shut up!"
"I'm not going to shut up!"
The two started laughing and joking, and Ruixiang and Yufu also laughed heartily, filling the room with joyful laughter.
Sheng Yunche walked in at that moment.
As soon as he entered, the most composed Ruixiang coughed loudly to remind Baozan and the other two not to be presumptuous.
After the maids had all left, Sheng Yunche walked to Ye Mingzhu's side, naturally pulled her into his arms, kissed her lips, and said to her, "Last night you told me about Zhang Shuheng, so I had someone investigate him today. Do you want to know?"
"What?" Ye Mingzhu was surprised at first, then said, "I think."
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