Siyi Hall.
The setting sun was still dazzling, the air was hot and dry, even the flowers and plants in the yard were wilting, and the birds that occasionally jumped and chirped in the treetops were nowhere to be seen.
Only the princess's unique clear voice continued to be heard from the inner room, but it was much more delicate and charming than usual.
She had deliberately kept her voice down and didn't even want to make a sound, but when she met such a strong and powerful prince consort, she couldn't control herself at all.
When the masters just went into the house to rest, the four big maids gathered next to the beauty in the corridor and whispered happily because they were reunited after a long time.
The good sisters were chatting animatedly when suddenly the noise from the upper room came over.
Chaoyun and Chaoyue blushed first.
Zhaolu and Zhaolan were stunned for a moment before they reacted.
"Hey, if you have anything to say, let's talk after we rest tonight. You two stay here and we'll go back and take a nap first."
Chaoyun hurriedly pulled Chaoyue to stand up. They had been packing up in the palace since early in the morning and were really tired now. Besides, the princess would take at least half an hour to visit. If they didn't take the opportunity to take a break, were they going to stay here and eavesdrop? It was fine to eavesdrop secretly when they were alone, but it was awkward when they were all together.
Chaoyue thought so too and quickly followed her away.
After the two of them ran away, Chaolu hummed softly: "What's the big deal? It's not like we haven't experienced this before."
Before the princess went to Lingzhou with the elder's family, she and her husband spent almost three months of their honeymoon life here. Although the princess disliked her husband, he was too thick-skinned and would have sex with her several times every month.
Zhao Lan: "That's right, it only takes a cup of tea, are they really going to run away?"
Both of them were very calm and continued to chat about the news they had just heard from their sisters. They were still very curious about the turn of events between the princess and her husband.
"If they didn't run away, we wouldn't have to make random guesses." Chaolu was still very angry.
Chao Lan: "Could it be that a friend in need is a friend indeed? I heard from the maid in the old lady's courtyard that there was a flood in Lingzhou."
The two maids were talking to each other, not taking the noise in the upper room seriously at all, until the noise continued for a very long time.
I don’t know whether it was Chaolu or Chaolan who noticed it first, but at a certain point, they both forgot to speak and just stared at each other blankly.
Then, Chaolu's ears turned red, and she tried to cover up her embarrassment by chatting: "The princess has indeed treated her husband better. She would not have indulged him for so long before."
Zhao Lan made up a story: "It could also be that the prince consort is a rogue and is deliberately sticking to the princess."
Chaolu: “He dares!”
Chao Lan didn't say anything, hiding in a farther bed next to a beautiful woman, and lying down, saying, "I'm asleep, the princess has asked someone to serve, you call me."
Morning Dew: …
.
When the sunlight outside the window finally became less bright, Chen Jingzong finally lifted the low-hanging gauze curtain of the bed and walked out wearing a pair of shorts.
He went to the bathroom to clean up the things, washed them four or five times with clean water, then returned to the inner room and continued to soak them in the lotus bowl for use in the evening.
After wiping his hands, Chen Jingzong walked to the table, holding the teapot in one hand and the tea bowl in the other, and returned to the bed.
Huayang had just used up her last bit of strength to get dressed. Now she was wearing a thin, water-red silk dress and loose silk pants of the same color, lying lazily on the pillow. It was hot, so she didn't cover herself with a blanket. Her wrists, as white as agar, were exposed. Her trouser legs also shrunk up with her posture, revealing two thin, white calves and a pair of small, delicate feet.
Everything was white except for her face, which was rosy, like a rosy peony that had just been moistened by a drizzle.
Hearing Chen Jingzong sitting down next to him, Huayang didn't want to pay attention to him, but he was really thirsty, so he let him pick him up.
Chen Jingzong's strength was reflected in all aspects. Just now, the ease with which he held her made Huayang feel as if she was as light as a fairy.
With her eyelashes drooping, she took small sips of the water that was fed to her lips.
Chen Jingzong was used to doing this. At first, he couldn't find the right measure. He either fed her too quickly and choked her, or fed her too slowly and she glared at him. Now, Chen Jingzong has become very skilled. He even knew clearly that Huayang needed to take a break after drinking a few sips.
The last person who could serve Huayang so meticulously and impeccably was Eunuch Wu Run.
"What are you laughing at?" Noticing the corners of her lips curled up, Chen Jingzong asked, "How can you feel happy after drinking water?"
Huayang raised his eyes, his wet eyes were filled with a clear smile: "I am smiling. If one day I really get tired of you and don't want you to be my consort, but you serve me so well, if you can't bear to leave me and would rather become a eunuch and serve me, I will probably keep you."
Chen Jingzong sneered: "I'm just afraid that I'm willing to give it up, but you're not."
Huayang: …
She continued to drink water.
When she lay back on the bed, Chen Jingzong asked, "Do you want to sleep a little longer, or ask the maids to prepare some water?"
Huayang: "Prepare some water."
Although she was sleepy, she couldn't stand the sweat she had just produced, so she had to wash herself off first.
Chen Jingzong then took out the bell she used to call the maids and rang it a few times.
Soon, the sound of footsteps running was heard outside, and finally stopped in front of the inner room door waiting for instructions.
Chen Jingzong asked them to prepare water. He simply wiped himself with a towel in the house and put on his outer robe.
"I'll go to the front yard first and come over for dinner." He stood in front of the screen and said to the bed.
Now is not the time to mourn in Lingzhou. The family has nothing to do. Back in the capital, the old man has been promoted to the Prime Minister, and the three brothers also hold official positions. Someone may come to the house at any time, and even the father and son and brothers will meet to discuss things. He must be prepared to respond at any time. As a princess, she probably won't be too idle. Not to mention her mother and sisters-in-law, there are also many people outside who want to come to her house to curry favor with her.
Huayang responded nonchalantly.
Chen Jingzong went out.
Chao Lan and Chao Lu told the maid to go to the water room and tell them that they didn't have to do the rough work of carrying water themselves, and they were all waiting in the side room to serve.
After the prince consort had completely disappeared, the two maids looked at each other for a while until water was brought from the water room.
After coming to their senses, they hurried to the inner room to serve the princess.
The two of them first rolled up one side of the gauze curtain, and Chaolu looked at the bed with some worry and curiosity.
As far as I can remember, every time the prince consort came to bed with her, the princess would be furious...
Then, Chaolu saw a lazy and charming face of a beauty. She seemed a little sleepy, but could hardly hide the comfort and joy between her eyebrows.
Just like when the sisters were tickling each other, they laughed so much that their stomachs hurt, but laughing is laughing, and it’s fun.
Huayang opened his eyes at this time and found that it was the two of them who came in, and he felt somewhat embarrassed.
Chaoyun and Chaoyue were already accustomed to what she and Chen Jingzong did. When the master and servant met, they did not take each other seriously and were calm with each other.
However, Chaolu and Chaolan will get used to it soon. It is they who need to adapt, not her as the princess.
Huayang raised his hand.
Chaolu hurried over and helped the princess up steadily.
Chao Lan noticed that there was an ordinary white undershirt on the bed. From the unremarkable style, she knew it belonged to the prince consort.
Huayang then realized that the undershirt was still pressed underneath.
Chen Jingzong's body was really like copper and iron. If she didn't have an extra layer of padding, no amount of Shu brocade would be enough.
But there was no need to explain to the maids, so Huayang sat by the bed for a while, and when his legs stopped shaking, he went to the bathroom to take a bath.
Chao Lan made the bed and Chao Lu followed to serve him.
Or maybe she is the head maid, and her relationship with her master is different, so she dares to say certain things.
Zhaolu sat on a stool, holding a towel in one hand and gently wiping the princess's creamy shoulders, while asking softly: "Princess, is your relationship with your husband better now than before?"
Huayang: "It's OK. Remember to tell Chao Lan to treat the prince consort with more respect from now on, and not be so cold and indifferent as before."
Of course, she did not blame the maids for being rude to Chen Jingzong before, because the maids all acted according to her mood. When she disliked Chen Jingzong, if the maids treated him well all day long, it would be equivalent to betraying her as the princess.
Chaolu secretly smacked her lips and said, "Oh, the Prince Consort really has won your favor. If I had known, we should have been more polite the night the Prince Consort just came back and last night."
Huayang sensed something was wrong and asked, "Except for these two nights, did the consort stay at the guard post during the rest of the time?"
Zhaolu: "That's right. On the first night when you were not there, the prince consort actually came to sleep in the backyard. We almost wanted to chase him back, but we didn't dare to speak because he was too imposing. And last night, we thought the prince consort was looking forward to sleeping with you, and we didn't look very happy when we entertained him. Hey, Princess, we really didn't know that you had already doted on the prince consort. Will the prince consort bear a grudge against us?"
They have lived in the palace with the princess for so long, and they often heard which favored concubine gossiped in the emperor's ear. Now Chaolu was very afraid that the prince consort would take advantage of his favor to instigate the princess to punish these rude maids.
Huayang: …
Her attitude towards Chen Jingzong was far from being doting, right? At most, it was just a little better than in her previous life.
To pamper, you have to be like the way my father pampers my mother, caring about her well-being in small matters and willing to listen to her on big issues. Of course, my father pampered me a lot, but he gave the lion's share to my mother.
"Don't worry, the prince consort is not that petty, and I won't punish you just because of what he says."
Huayang comforted his maid first.
Chaolu breathed a sigh of relief.
Huayang continued to ponder the fact that Chen Jingzong had not returned home for more than ten days.
In her previous life, she returned to Beijing and stayed in the palace for a full month. It was only after her mother urged her several times that she reluctantly returned to the Chen family. Chen Jingzong took her back to the mansion and let her stay there for two consecutive nights. Later, he said that the garrison was busy with military training and she would only come back during the rest period.
Huayang guessed that Chen Jingzong couldn't stand her cold face and disgust, so he also turned his face away from her. After all, his pride had never changed.
But in this life, the two of them got along very well at night. If Chen Jingzong still wanted to live in the garrison for a long time, it meant that Huayang had misunderstood him in his previous life. He was really busy training troops, just like his father-in-law, who was devoted to his work and was so busy that he didn't even care about his family.
In the evening, before it got dark, Chen Jingzong came to the backyard.
Huayang was sitting in the shade of a tree in the yard to enjoy the cool air. It was like this in the summer, the only time one could stay outside was in the early morning and evening.
Chen Jingzong naturally sat down next to her, picked up the fruit plate on the table, took a bite himself, and then cut a piece into pieces to feed her.
When Chaolu and Chaolan met, they understood more and more the prince consort's new status beside the princess.
The maids wisely avoided it.
Huayang glanced at Chen Jingzong and asked, "I heard that you have been busy training troops recently and haven't been home yet?"
Chen Jingzong looked at her and said, "Why are we so busy with training? We train during the day and they need to sleep at night. I should also take a rest. But since you are not here, why should I waste an hour running back?"
Huayang: "So, you will come back every day in the future?"
Chen Jingzong ate a piece of fruit and said without thinking: "Don't you want to work one night and rest the next? On the days you want to rest, I will still sleep in the guardhouse."
Although he has a lot of strength, he gets tired too and doesn't want to waste his efforts.
Huayang: …
What pride, what dedication to official duties? He has none of those. He is simply a dog. As long as there is meat to eat, he doesn't mind getting up early and going to bed late. Without meat, he becomes a lazy bone!
(End of this chapter)