She was very surprised to see Shang Rui sitting in front of the bed, but she couldn't remember the whole story. He leaned against the bedpost, tilted his head back slightly, frowned, and his nose, lips, and chin formed a proud and handsome silhouette. His inky black hair was tied into a bun, neat and tidy, but there was a half-rotten leaf hidden in the hair at the back of his head.
From the moment they met Yishan, Xia Yue felt that he must be a pampered person. His hair crown, waist ornaments, and clothes seemed casual, but they were extremely particular. Even the corners of his robe had few wrinkles. How could he allow someone to stick dead branches and rotten leaves in his hair
She was very thirsty, and there was no one else around except Shang Rui. She didn't want to call him, so she had to slowly raise her upper body by herself.
She had been lying in bed for too long, her whole body was limp, and it was difficult for her to get up. She tossed and turned to look at Shang Rui, who was sleeping soundly. He might have caught a cold, and his breathing was wheezing, with the dead leaf still stuck in his mouth.
Suddenly, she thought of Zijin. When they were little, she took him to steal fruits from the trees in the yard next door. He always came back through the dog hole in the corner of the wall, and his head was covered with weeds and dead leaves. She had to clean them up for him before he dared to go home. He stole oranges in winter and pears in summer. In fact, they all tasted sour and astringent, but he never got tired of it.
Recalling this, Xia Yue suddenly smiled and couldn't help but reach out to pick the leaves on Shang Rui's head.
She failed to reach it the first time, so she reached out the second time. Just as her fingers touched the leaf, she suddenly felt dizzy, her waist went limp, and her upper body fell sideways onto his chest.
In doing so, he woke up.
Her entire face was pressed against the lapel of his chest, which made her want to die.
He lowered his head and looked at the beauty in his arms: "Every time you either kiss me or take off my clothes, now you throw yourself into my arms, what do you want?"
She was too embarrassed to raise her head, so she had to explain, "There's something in your hair, I'll help you get it off." Then she spread her palm to show Shang Rui. She had indeed picked the leaves off, and even pulled a few strands of hair into her hand.
He glanced at what she was holding, but asked, "How long have you been lying here without taking a shower?"
Her face froze instantly, and she quickly pushed him away and moved herself as far away as possible.
"This is clearly my room, and you came in without saying a word and blamed me for smelling bad." She looked him up and down again in dissatisfaction, "Why don't you take a look at how dirty you are first?"
Shang Rui suddenly laughed, but did not refute her.
At this time, He Xiang pushed the door open and saw that Xia Yue was awake. She burst into tears of joy and said, "Miss, Miss, that's great, that's great, you are really awake." Seeing Shang Rui was still there, she bowed with tears in her eyes again and said, "Thank you, Mr. Hong." After that, she went out to find Li Ji.
Xia Yue glanced at Shang Rui and said, "I'm awake now, why is she thanking you for anything?"
Shang Rui replied: "How would I know?" After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave.
"Oh—" Xia Yue couldn't help but grab his clothes.
He turned around and looked down.
She quickly withdrew her hand as if she was scalded.
"Why? You can't bear to leave?" He smiled.
At this time, the footsteps of Li Ji and his group could be heard approaching.
"When...will you come again?" Xia Yue looked up at him and asked.
As she spoke, the hand that had just held him rested lightly on the quilt. Her fingers did not have long nails like those of palace ladies or official ladies, but were trimmed close to the fingertips, making them look very round and lovely. His eyes turned to her lips when she asked him when he would come again. She tilted her face up, raised her chin, and slightly opened her lips, revealing a few white teeth.
He suddenly remembered the taste of those lips in the snow that day.
In a flash, Li Ji knocked on the door.
He gathered his thoughts and replied with a smile, "I'm afraid I can't spare the time today. I'll come tomorrow."
Shang Rui was in a very good mood that day.
Wang Xiaoxiang went to Kangning Palace to see him because of his father's chronic illness.
After listening to her story, Shang Rui chuckled and said, "Why would the Queen come to ask me about such a trivial matter? In a few days, you can issue an order to ask Li Ji to go to the Prime Minister's residence."
Wang Xiaoxiang was stunned when she saw the look on his face. She had known him for so many years and had watched him grow from a young boy into a mature man. In terms of his thoughts, he should be the most difficult person in the world to guess. However, sometimes, he would be in a good mood and he was the person with the most obvious emotions in the palace. Others could tell whether he was happy or angry at a glance.
"Does the Queen have anything else to say?" Shang Rui put down the memorial in his hand and asked casually.
"No, then I won't bother Your Majesty." Wang Xiaoxiang said.
"Oh, by the way," Shang Rui called her again, "Wang Kui, do you have an adopted son?"
"Wang Gan? He was originally my uncle's nephew. Later, my uncle had no children, so he included him in the family tree and adopted him as his son."
"There is an idle position in the Ministry of Revenue. Someone recommended him, saying that he has been educated by your uncle since he was a child and has extensive knowledge and high moral character. What do you think?"
"I have never met Wang Gan," she said halfway, remembering the day she argued with her father and almost made him sick. Wang Kui was not actually her father Wang Ji's brother, but was born to her. She didn't know much about the past, but her father usually treated him very well.
So she changed her words and said, "My uncle is kind to others and I think he is a good parent."
Unexpectedly, Shang Rui sneered at what he said, "Let's not talk about anything else about your uncle. His character and official rank are really not that good. It's hard for you to pick the word gentle to describe him."
Wang Xiaoxiang felt a little embarrassed after being ridiculed by him.
"But since the Queen says it's a good idea, then of course it's a good idea. I agree. Anyway, it's a job where you have to obey orders from others, so let him gain some experience." Shang Rui said.
Wang Xiaoxiang came out of Kangning Palace and looked back again.
The palace walls are towering, and tender green buds have sprouted from the branches nearby, gradually showing signs of spring.
seven
Xia Yue leaned on the bed, listening to He Xiang's emotional retelling of how Shang Rui went to Dongyuan, how he found the blood magpie, and how he rushed to save her life.
She recalled the dead leaves on his head and remained silent.
He Xiang said, "Miss, you used to doubt Mr. Hong and said you should be wary of him, but you must have been overthinking. I think he treats you very well."
"It's not as simple as you think." Xia Yue said.
"What? I think Master Hong is a very simple person. If you are nice to him, he will be nice to you. If you make him angry, he will be twice as angry at you."
After He Xiang finished speaking, she suddenly thought of Zi Jin, so she thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if Mr. Hong has a family. If not, he and Miss are a good match."
Xia Yue slapped her forehead lightly: "You are so young, and you think too much!"
After a while, Li Ji brought the second bowl of medicine.
She remembered that the medicine was made of poisonous blood, and couldn't help feeling a little nauseous. She was not afraid of pain or bitter medicine, but she was afraid of eating strange things since she was a child.
She drank it in one gulp and instantly felt churning in her chest and wanted to vomit.
Li Ji said, "There are only two bowls of medicine left. If you vomit, they will have to stay up all night and catch another one in the cold."
Xia Yue quickly covered her mouth and had to hold the medicine back.
On the afternoon of the second day, Shang Rui arrived as expected.
After waking up in the morning, she seemed to have regained some strength and no longer felt tired. She did not sleep at noon and borrowed a book to read.
Xia Yue asked: "Is this my last burst of energy?"
The lotus fragrance is very strong: "I just like to pick unlucky things."
As the two were talking, Shang Rui arrived at the door.
He Xiang quickly found an excuse to avoid her and didn't turn back even though Xia Yue called her.
Xia Yue felt a little uncomfortable. She held the book and didn't look at him.
He stared at her calmly, which made her nervous. She simply put down the book, looked up and asked, "What?"
"Didn't you ask me to come?"
"I..." Xia Yue was speechless. She originally wanted to cut off her relationship with him last time. If she died, their previous grudges would be forgotten. She hoped that others would not make things difficult for He Xiang.
However, ever since Xia Yue knew that he had put so much effort into saving her, she could no longer say those words.
"Did I really see you in Jinluo?" she asked curiously.
"We asked you for directions in Jinluo, and you told us to go to Cuiweilou. You said the food there was expensive and bad, but it was perfect for me."
Xia Yue couldn't help but laugh: "I remember now, it's you."
"Why not me?"
"Did you go eat later?" Xia Yue was curious.
"No." Shang Rui replied, "I don't dare to go."
Xia Yue chuckled: "If you like to drink Jinluo's aged sake, I have several jars buried under the peach tree in my garden. I wanted to drink it secretly without Dad's knowledge before."
"You, a girl, also like to drink?"
"Of course," Xia Yue replied, "The people of Jinluo, both men and women, grew up smelling the aroma of wine. They can use wine to quench their thirst, so naturally they can drink a lot and like it."
He Xiang left in a hurry just now, so the door was not closed tightly when she left. At this moment, sunlight suddenly appeared outside the door.
The warm golden sun seemed to break through the clouds in an instant, shining through the cracks in the door and sprinkling on the ground, making people feel extremely comfortable.
Shang Rui stood up, walked to the window, and slowly pushed it open. The soft sunlight instantly slanted into the room, shining on him and casting a tall shadow on the ground.
She hadn't seen the sun for a long time and her eyes felt a little uncomfortable. She squinted before she dared to raise her head.
"How about we have a competition?" His face was very gentle as he stood in the sunlight and smiled.
"Comparing what?" Xia Yue asked.
"Of course I drink." He looked at her, "But you just recovered from a serious illness, so we have to wait until you are fully recovered."
"Is my illness really cured?"
"Probably not." he answered.
"Then..." She murmured, "Master Li may not fulfill his promise."
Nor would she cure Zi Jin's illness for her.
She spoke so quietly, completely to herself, without any joy of recovery, but with a hint of melancholy.
Shang Rui turned his face back again, the smile between his eyebrows faded, and the look in his eyes became lighter.
Looking out the window from the house, you can see four pear trees planted in the yard. One of them has a few new buds on its bare brown branches, but the others seem to have been frozen and withered in the winter.
"You will get better, of course. Li Ji's medical skills can bring people back to health." He said calmly, "But his ability to plant trees is not that good."
A passage that is hard to guess.
There is no wind outside the window, but there seems to be birds singing and the fragrance of new leaves.
Shang Rui stood with his hands behind his back, facing the morning light for a moment, then turned to Xia Yue and said, "I have always wanted to ask you a question."
Xia Yue looked at him, waiting for his next words.
"Black Yin Sha has been extinct for many years and has never appeared in the Imperial Capital before. How did you get infected?"
"I..." Xia Yue was stunned, thinking of Mu Yuanzhi and the child who came to see the doctor. If not at that time, then when? She thought about it afterwards, and realized that this illness was indeed strange. After thinking about it, she didn't know what to say to him and what not to say to him. For a moment, she was not sure how to answer.
Shang Rui waited for a while but didn't see her answer, so he reminded her, "Miss Min?"
After saying these three words, the corners of his mouth raised and he suddenly smiled again.
He stood in the bright spring sunshine, the sun wrapped around his shoulders, a golden patch, but it suddenly lost its just warm temperature.
He said: "Maybe I should call you Yu Zhaoyang?"