In the dead of night, the bed creaked for a full half hour.
After a while, a thin and strong figure pushed aside the curtain and walked towards the bathroom.
There was a single copper lamp lit on the table. The man's shadow first shortened, then lengthened, and finally disappeared behind the curtain of the bathroom.
Huayang flexed his fingers lazily, as if he had just come to his senses. Then he heard Chen Jingzong come out again, standing in front of the washstand with his head lowered, washing seriously.
Through the hazy curtain, Huayang saw his strong shoulders and narrow waist.
In her ears, she heard the comments made by her aunt in her previous life when she invited her to watch the guards' martial arts competition: "Appreciating a handsome man is the same as appreciating a beautiful woman. In addition to the face, you also need to look at their neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, waist, hips and legs. If any of these is bad, they are not handsome. Of course, if you want to choose a male concubine, in addition to being handsome, you must also have real skills. Otherwise, he will be like a silver-like wax spear head, which is good-looking but useless."
If Huayang had not married yet, or Chen Jingzong had not died yet, she would have avoided her aunt as soon as she started talking, and would never have listened to the end. But she was already a widow, and she was lonely at night, so she listened with great interest, although she refused to admit it on her face, and always maintained a noble and dignified demeanor in front of her aunt.
Therefore, a simple little girl and a young woman who has truly experienced those things have completely different views on men.
Just like Huayang, when she first met Chen Jingzong, she only looked at his face. After she got married, she disliked him for various reasons and even disliked his face, let alone his body.
After all, she was still at the state of mind of a young girl at that time. But now, Huayang is much more satisfied with Chen Jingzong's body than with him as a person.
Silently watching Chen Jingzong change the water several times and wash the things thoroughly, and watching him lean over to the lamp to carefully check for leaks, Huayang felt embarrassed and amused at the same time. She put on her inner clothes before he came back and prepared to go to the west room to take a bath.
Chen Jingzong had just hung his things on one end of the wash rack to dry when he saw her walking out with her long hair flowing like a waterfall. He said helplessly, "It's so cold, and you insist on being particular. What if you catch a cold? You were right to dislike me before, but now I don't have anything. They are all yours. Just wipe them with a towel."
Huayang: "... Shut up. No one will think you are dumb if you don't speak."
There was water in the bathroom, which had become cold due to the long delay. Not far away were two copper kettles filled with boiling water. Huayang tried to lift them, but they were too heavy to lift.
Knowing that Chen Jingzong would come tonight, Huayang did not ask Chaoyun to keep watch, but instead asked her to sleep in the ear room with Chaoyue.
Even though Chaoyun was his trusted maid, Huayang was not used to having her eavesdrop on him every time.
"Come here." she called towards the east room.
There was the sound of footsteps, and Chen Jingzong came, wearing a middle-length robe, revealing two slender and powerful legs. Fortunately, the hem of the robe was long enough at this time, blocking the part that Huayang least wanted to see.
Huayang pointed at the copper kettle and ordered, "Add some water for me."
Chen Jingzong picked up the copper kettle and tested the water temperature in the bathtub before pouring hot water into it.
Huayang stood opposite, testing the water temperature at any time, and when he felt it was enough, he told him to get out.
Chen Jingzong: "Since I'm here, I'll be more particular."
After saying this, he pulled up his shirt and was about to step into the bathtub.
Hua Yang looked at his raised big feet and shouted: "How dare you!"
She didn't want to soak in his foot washing water!
Chen Jingzong caught a glimpse of her disgusted look and had to give up his plan to take a bath. He wet a towel, stood aside, and wiped her face.
Huayang turned around, his ears red.
Chen Jingzong muttered quietly: "With your temper, if someone wanted to murder you, they wouldn't use a knife or a gun, but would force you to eat a bowl of foot washing water, and you would be disgusted to death."
Huayang snorted unhappily.
After wiping, Chen Jingzong put on his inner robe and strode out.
Huayang closed the door and soaked comfortably for a quarter of an hour. When she was about to come out, she was shivering with cold. Just as she was about to retreat back into the water to soak for a while, the door was suddenly pushed open and Chen Jingzong walked in, dressed neatly. He casually pulled off the towel hanging beside him, came to the bathtub, closed his eyes and said, "Come out, I'll help you wipe, I'm fast."
Huayang lowered his eyes, then tremblingly stood up with the help of the bathtub on his side.
The next moment, Chen Jingzong wrapped a towel around her shoulders, lifted her out easily, wrapped her tightly from shoulders to feet, carried her into the bed, wiped her carefully at a very fast speed, and then stuffed her into the quilt.
Huayang is still cold.
Chen Jingzong threw the wet Jin Yihuazi off the bed, crawled into the bed, hugged her tightly in his arms, and rubbed her shoulders and back with his big hands.
Huayang quickly warmed up.
Chen Jingzong went to turn off all the lights outside. When he came back, he lay down in his bed and said to her, "Go to sleep. We have to move tomorrow."
Huayang paused and called him over: "It's still a little cold here."
Chen Jingzong immediately got back in.
Huayang snuggled into his arms. His chest was warmer than any hot water bottle.
After a warm moment, Chen Jingzong tentatively put his hand on her waist.
Huayang closed his eyes and said, "I'm asleep."
Chen Jingzong: "Who can sleep with you so close to me?"
Huayang doesn't care, as long as she sleeps well.
.
Before daybreak, six horse-drawn carriages had already parked outside Chen's residence. They were sent by the Lingzhou prefectural government, the Ningyuan manager, and the Jiangping county government to welcome their respective masters.
Servants and maids at the door kept going in and out, carrying boxes and crates from each room onto the cart.
In Danyuan Hall, Chen Tingjian and Sun gave their son and daughter-in-law some instructions and then asked them to set off.
Huayang and Chen Jingzong were the most relaxed. Both Chen Bozong and Chen Xiaozong were accompanied by their reluctant children.
With his dignified grandfather staring at him, Sanlang tried hard to hold back his tears. When he could hold them back no longer, he tilted his head and wiped them away with his sleeve.
Dalang and Erlang are both very sensible, but their eyes are filled with reluctance to leave their parents.
Yu Xiu also wanted to cry. If she had to choose between her husband and her children, she would rather stay in the ancestral home to accompany her children, especially her daughter, who was her real and caring little cotton-padded jacket.
"It's okay. We'll be back after your father has a rest." Yu Xiu kept touching her daughter's head.
Chen Bozong glanced at the mother and daughter, then quickly looked away.
Luo Yuyan was also reluctant to leave her children, but she had nothing to worry about as they were being taught and raised by her parents-in-law. She wanted to keep an eye on her husband more, and she was really tired of living in the small Fucuitang and couldn't wait to go out and get some fresh air.
"Okay, let's go."
Seeing that the servants had finished loading the things, Chen Tingjian stroked his beard and said, "Continuing crying would only make the people laugh at me."
"Sister-in-law, we are going the same way. Please sit with me."
Through the veil, Huayang smiled and said to Yu Xiu.
Yu Xiu was flattered again and even forgot the sorrow of separation between mother and son.
"Go ahead." Chen Bozong said from the side.
Yu Xiu hurriedly walked to Huayang and got into the most luxurious carriage sent by Ningyuan with her.
Chen Bochong wanted to take a carriage. Since the princess had invited his wife, he looked at his fourth brother.
Chen Jingzong didn't want to share a carriage with him. It was fun to ride with a delicate princess, but accompanying his elder brother was a torture!
"I ride a horse."
In addition to giving his daughter a garden, Emperor Jingshun also transferred two hundred of the three hundred guards from the princess's mansion.
Previously, Emperor Jingshun did not send guards because the Chen family's ancestral home was too small and there was no place for the guards to stay. Ningyuan was big enough, so of course guards had to be arranged.
Today, half of the two hundred guards stayed in Lingzhou City to guard Ning Garden, and the other half came to Chen's house to welcome the princess.
Chen Jingzong rode his horse and came to the side of the guards.
The guard commander Zhou Ji stood beside his horse and nodded to the prince consort.
When in the capital, although Huayang had a princess's mansion, she had always lived in the Chen family mansion after marriage, so Chen Jingzong had never dealt with the guards of the princess's mansion. Just now, when Zhou Ji came to pay his respects to the princess and her husband, Chen Jingzong noticed him for the first time.
Looking at Zhou Ji's handsome face, Chen Jingzong asked, "Is your last name Zhou?"
Zhou Ji then introduced himself again.
Chen Jingzong didn't say anything, his eyes swept over the ninety-nine guards who were lined up solemnly behind him. He didn't know whether it was an accident or a coincidence, but these ninety-nine guards all had young faces, and the ugliest one could be praised for having regular features, not a single one of them was ugly.
"lets go."
In the leading carriage, Huayang said goodbye to his parents-in-law and nephews through the window, then lowered the curtains and gave instructions to the coachman.
The driver should be.
As soon as the carriage started moving, Chen Jingzong immediately urged his horse to follow.
Following Zhou Ji's order, ninety-nine tall and upright guards mounted their horses at the same time in an well-trained manner. One team went to the front to lead the way, and the other three teams were scattered on the left and right sides and the rear of the convoy.
The people who were watching the excitement from afar widened their eyes. It turned out that this was the style of a princess!
In the carriage, Yu Xiu sat next to the princess with her hands on her knees, too nervous to move.
Huayang laughed and said, "Do I look fierce? Why is my sister-in-law so afraid of me?"
Yu Xiu blushed, secretly glanced at her, and stammered, "Princess, the princess is not fierce, it's just that the princess is too beautiful, like a fairy. I, I don't know how to get along with you."
Huayang was in a good mood as they were about to go to the new house. He couldn't help teasing his shy sister-in-law: "I was wondering why Wanyi's little mouth was so sweet. It turns out she learned it from her eldest sister-in-law."
Yu Xiu's face turned even redder.
At this moment, Huayang suddenly understood why Chen Jingzong flirted with her last time when they went to burn incense for the old lady. Looking at Yu Xiu's shy and gullible appearance, if she were a man, he might also be frivolous with her.
"Sister-in-law only knows how to praise me. Don't you know that you are also a beauty?" Huayang didn't want Yu Xiu to be too restrained, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic.
Yu Xiu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously lowered his head and said, "How can I be compared with the princess?"
Huayang: "Okay, if you don't dare to compare with me, then I'll tell you that your beauty is not inferior to that of the third sister-in-law. Can the eldest sister-in-law be trusted?"
Yu Xiu didn't say anything, but still looked unconvinced.
Huayang studied her for a moment and hit the nail on the head: "Sister-in-law is too concerned about her background. It's true that you are not like my third sister-in-law who was born in a marquis's mansion, and you are not like me who grew up in an imperial family, but you are the daughter of a scholar, and your family background is clean. Why should you belittle yourself? To make an inappropriate analogy, your mother's family is not much higher than your Yu family, but isn't your father still deeply in love with her? My eldest brother was born as the top scholar, and at a young age he has already reached the fourth rank. Sister-in-law should show the momentum of a fourth-rank lady."
Yu Xiu looked up in surprise.
Hua Yang said seriously: "Our father was also born into an ordinary family, but now he has entered the cabinet and is trusted by our father. This shows that a person's background is not important, what is important is his current achievements."
Yu Xiu said ashamedly: "My father is a genius, and I am just the daughter of an ordinary scholar. I haven't read many books..."
Huayang smiled and said, "Then let's not talk about my father, let's talk about my husband instead. He hasn't read many books and is a rough man, but he married me. Has he ever felt ashamed in front of me?"
Yu Xiu: "... Fourth brother, fourth brother is handsome and has outstanding martial arts..."
Hua Yang snorted, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to make up for him. What I want to say is that as long as Sister-in-law thinks highly of me and firmly believes that I am the best eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family, I will act like an eldest daughter-in-law. Then others will only regard you as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family. Anyone who dares to act rashly will be disrespectful to the Chen family. What's more, besides father and mother who will protect you, there is also me. No matter what grievances Sister-in-law has suffered, as long as you come to me, I will help you out."
Yu Xiu was so shocked that the princess's sister-in-law, whom she had always thought was out of her reach, actually treated her so close and kindly!
"Thank you so much, Princess. I'll remember that!"
(End of this chapter)