Chapter 74 "Sleep here with me tonight."
The tiny pill dissolved in the water in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.
Yu Shu suppressed her wildly beating heart, placed the teacup next to Sheng Huai'an, carefully retreated to her own seat, and waited silently for the result.
One hour.
Another hour has passed.
Yu Shu gradually felt disappointed.
This pill really does have the effects described on the note. Not only can it make men more enthusiastic about sex and increase the chances of women getting pregnant, it can also nourish the man's body, making him more energetic the day after sex, so that it is not easy for others to notice.
Why isn't Sheng Huai'an reacting at all? Could it be fake?
As she thought about it, she immediately thought of midnight.
Sheng Huai'an got up and stretched, then spoke to her in a hoarse voice, "Make the bed, get ready to sleep."
"Yes," Yu Shu replied and immediately took action.
After she made the bed, helped Sheng Huai'an wash up, and helped him fall asleep, she finally resigned herself to her fate after waiting anxiously for so long.
It seems everything in that note was a lie; she always said there couldn't be such a miraculous medicine...
My thoughts suddenly stopped here.
Just as she was about to leave and go to sleep on the low couch in the outer room of the study as usual, Sheng Huai'an suddenly grabbed her wrist.
A hint of desire flickered in his usually clear eyes. He looked straight at her, his fingers gently caressing her wrist, and said in a hoarse voice, as if bestowing a gift, "Sleep here with me tonight."
Yu Shu was overjoyed and nestled obediently into his arms: "Yes, Second Master."
...
After several rain showers, autumn is in the air.
"What day of the month is it today?" Ye Mingzhu asked Baozan, who was sitting to the side doing needlework, while studying the medicinal powder that Yanzhi had obtained from Liu Rumei.
Baozan tilted her head and thought for a moment: "I don't remember."
Ruyi was tidying up her jewelry box when she heard this and said with a smile, "Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival, and today is the 14th of the seventh lunar month."
"The Ghost Festival?" Ye Mingzhu asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Ruyi covered her mouth and laughed, “You’re most afraid of ghosts. Every year during the Ghost Festival you’re on tenterhooks, and you have to have all four of us with you for several days before you can sleep. I don’t know what happened this year, you’ve forgotten everything.”
Yu Fu said, "We were worried that you would be scared if you found out, so we didn't mention it when we saw that you didn't remember. Only Bao Zan is carefree and doesn't remember the date, just like you."
Baozan jumped up and said indignantly, "I'm not heartless!"
After her initial annoyance subsided, she said to Ye Mingzhu with a caring tone, "Miss, let the four of us sleep with you tonight! Even if some little devils come, they'll take me away first, not you!"
Ruixiang quickly grabbed her: "Are you silly? Miss is married, she will naturally have the Duke to accompany her, why would she need you?"
Bao Zan was dumbfounded: "That's true."
Ruyi said, "Is it because the Duke is with you that Miss isn't afraid at all this year?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Baozan burst into laughter, and Yufu and Ruixiang also laughed.
Ye Mingzhu couldn't help but laugh.
She used to be timid and never dared to close her eyes on the night of the Ghost Festival, but this year she really didn't think about the Ghost Festival at all.
Is it because of Sheng Yunche?
Maybe not.
Having been a wandering ghost for so many years, she had lost all fear of ghosts and was no longer afraid of anything.
Baozan asked with great interest, "Miss, shall we go out and release river lanterns tomorrow?"
"Go ahead..." Seeing the expectant eyes of the four maids, Ye Mingzhu made the decision, "Tomorrow, we'll do the same as before and release river lanterns by the moat."
"I heard that officials and wealthy families are releasing river lanterns into Jishuitan."
"The moat is where it's really lively! It's rare that there's no curfew, and there are lots of vendors setting up stalls at night. We can take a stroll after we release our river lanterns."
"The rules of the Ye family and the Duke's mansion are different. We can't let our tempers dictate things this year and make things difficult for Miss."
"The princess is definitely going to Jishuitan. We'll just follow her."
"..."
The maids chattered amongst themselves, while Ye Mingzhu smiled and said, "What's the rush? We're all in Yanjing City; there's no such thing as not being able to have your cake and eat it too. Let's go to Jishuitan first, then the moat. Let's all go take a look."
"Really?" Baozan jumped up excitedly.
Even the usually composed Ruixiang had bright eyes.
Ye Mingzhu nodded with a smile.
Having been given a second chance at life, one of the things she most wanted to do was to ensure that her loyal maids lived happily.
In the afternoon, Yaqin came to Linfeng Hall.
She curtsied to Ye Mingzhu and said, "We're going to release river lanterns at Jishuitan tomorrow night. The Princess said you don't need to prepare anything, just send one person."
"Thank you for your trouble, Mother-in-law." Ye Mingzhu then asked, "I wonder, according to our household custom, when do we return home after releasing the river lanterns?"
"The princess returned early, but she asked me to tell you that if you want to go somewhere else, feel free to go, just bring enough guards."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
As soon as Yaqin left, Ye Mingzhu smiled and looked at Baozan and the others, who cheered excitedly in hushed tones.
When Sheng Yunche returned from his shift that evening, Ye Mingzhu politely asked him if he wanted to go for a stroll along the moat the following night.
Sheng Yunche replied, "I have official business to attend to tomorrow, so I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you."
"What official business do you have?" Ye Mingzhu asked in surprise. "Patrolling and maintaining order within the city is the responsibility of the Five Cities Military Command and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It has nothing to do with your Central Military Command, does it?"
Sheng Yunche paused for a moment: "Don't ask about other things."
Ye Mingzhu responded with an "Oh".
After a moment's thought, she felt it was even better.
Without Sheng Yunche around, Baozan and the others were able to have more fun and weren't so reserved.
But in Sheng Yunche's eyes, her long eyelashes concealed the look in her eyes, and she looked extremely disappointed.
"What?" Sheng Yunche said, raising his hand to pinch her soft earlobe. "If you can't sleep at night, sleep with my clothes in your arms."
Why are you sleeping with your clothes in your arms?
"Aren't you timid and afraid?"
"...?" Ye Mingzhu reacted, asking incredulously, "How did you know I was timid? Did you have Lian Yu spy on me?"
"What surveillance? I just want her to tell me your daily habits so I can know them."
Ye Mingzhu was annoyed: "Why do you need to know my daily habits?"
Sheng Yunche said matter-of-factly, "I spoil you."
Ye Mingzhu was stunned.
A hint of a smile flashed across Sheng Yunche's eyes: "What, are you moved?"
"...No way!" Ye Mingzhu said irritably. "I'm not afraid anymore. I can sleep alone perfectly well. Besides, Baozan and the others are here too."
"Okay." Sheng Yunche nodded solemnly, looking as if he believed him. "Aren't you afraid?"
Ye Mingzhu: "..."
She got even angrier and couldn't help but slap Sheng Yunche's hand, only to be met with a low chuckle from him.
...
On the day of the Ghost Festival, the sky was clear and blue.
The bright sunlight turned the world into a sauna, giving the impression of returning to the height of summer. But a cool evening breeze swept away the heat, making the temperature pleasantly comfortable.
As night falls, the lights of Yanjing City shine as brightly as stars.
Ye Mingzhu followed Princess Ronghua to Jishuitan. After releasing the river lanterns, she put her hands together and silently recited the Rebirth Mantra for herself and her family who had died tragically in her previous life.
Not long after, Princess Ronghua was about to return to her residence.
Ye Mingzhu noticed that Sheng Wan'er was still not satisfied, so she smiled and called her to join her. She then led Baozan and a group of guards toward the moat.
The carriage reached the moat, where a bustling crowd could be heard outside.
Ye Mingzhu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. She saw a juggler spray water onto a torch in his hand, and the torch immediately burst into a blazing fire, causing the onlookers to gasp in surprise.
Sheng Wan'er's face flushed with excitement: "Sister-in-law, shall we get off the car and go play?"
"Okay," Ye Mingzhu replied with a smile.
The two got out of the carriage and walked down the bustling street, followed by maids, servants, and a group of guards.
Sheng Wan'er rarely comes out, and she is curious about everything. Before long, the maids and servants following behind her are carrying many trinkets.
Despite the bustling and noisy surroundings, Ye Mingzhu always felt a sense of alienation and incongruity.
Her thoughts often wandered.
Sheng Wan'er bought a few more river lanterns and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, shall we release a few more river lanterns? Look at the river lanterns I just bought, they're quite unique."
"Okay." Ye Mingzhu nodded with a smile.
The two walked to the riverbank, where she took a river lantern from Sheng Wan'er and bent down to place it on the dark river surface, which reflected the lights and the stars and moon.
As she watched the river lanterns drift away on the water, she silently wished for "everything to go smoothly."
As a result, an unexpected event occurred.
Just as she was about to get up, a little boy, about half her height, suddenly cried out in alarm and waved his arms, staggering towards her and knocking her off balance, causing her to fall straight into the river.
With a "plop," the river submerged her.
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