Fugui brought in another basin of water. He saw that all the masters had laid down, but his master was still standing on the ground, shivering from head to toe like a lump of ice.
Fugui lowered his head even more, put the copper basin in front of a stool, and walked out.
Chen Jingzong sat on the stool and took off his two boots one after another.
These boots have been worn for a whole day, and the military officer is busy training the soldiers and sweating profusely. It is basically impossible to have no smell at all.
Chen Bozong: "... Open the window for a while."
Chen Jingzong washed his feet with a sullen face, as if he hadn't heard it.
Chen Bozong endured for a while, then got out of bed, put on his shoes and outer robe, and went to the south to open the window.
The cold wind of early October blew in.
The window would have to be closed later, so Chen Bozong walked to a place sheltered from the wind. From this angle, he could only see his brother's broad back and stern profile.
As he was observing, Chen Jingzong suddenly sneered: "A gentleman does not lose face or words in front of others. You pretend to be a true gentleman outside, but you come here to lie to me."
Chen Bozong looked calm: "Really? How did I lie to you?"
Chen Jingzong: "The princess has always respected my mother. Why would she rashly move back to the princess's residence and ask the two elders to go to the palace to apologize? She won't move at this time, and my mother can't see it. You are just trying to fool me with those words."
Chen Bozong: "It's true that the princess respects the two elders, but if you make her angry, the two elders' face will be useless."
Chen Jingzong: "I mad at her? You really think highly of me."
Chen Bozong: "That means the princess's words and deeds offended you, and you got angry and brought it up to deliberately ignore the princess."
Chen Jingzong: …
Only now did he realize that he had fallen into the trap of his eldest brother's words. If his eldest brother had asked him why he didn't go back when they met, he would definitely not tell him. But now, with just a few words, his eldest brother had guessed half of the truth.
He stopped talking.
Chen Bozong: "You are so bold that you even dare to ignore the princess. Did you want to follow the emperor's example by giving Meng Yanqing four beauties?"
There was no way Chen Jingzong would fall for his provocation again.
Chen Bozong: "On August 16, you accompanied the princess on a trip, and your sister-in-law whispered to me that she felt that your relationship with the princess was getting better and better. At that time, I admired your ability to make the princess fall in love with you. Now I admire you even more. You can even despise the princess's affection and ignore it. Maybe only a fairy really fell from the sky, and you would cherish and protect her."
Chen Jingzong: "Stop talking nonsense, you know nothing."
Chen Bozong: "I naturally don't understand the princess, I only understand you as my brother."
Chen Jingzong: …
He grabbed the towel and wiped his feet, calling out "Fugui".
Fugui came in with his back bent, glanced at the two brothers who were standing there, and didn't dare to interrupt. He picked up the basin and came out again.
Chen Jingzong took off his outer robe and got into bed first.
Chen Bozong walked around the room and found that there was no smell, so he closed the window, turned off the copper lamp, and lay down in his bed.
The two brothers' quilts were laid very close to each other, but Chen Jingzong deliberately slept on the edge with his back to his brother.
Chen Bozong sighed and said to the dark roof: "I still remember that before we came to Beijing, you were only three years old, and sometimes you would run into my room and insist on sleeping with me."
Chen Jingzong: "Shut up, why don't you tell me that when you were three years old you liked to chew your feet."
Chen Bozong: "Maybe it's as you said, but I don't remember it. I only remember your childhood."
Chen Jingzong: "If you keep nagging me, do you believe I will go and sleep with Fugui?"
Chen Bozong: "I am here to persuade you on my mother's orders. If you don't go back, I will come back every day. I will only nag you more, unless you are really cruel and don't see me every time, and have the heart to make your sister-in-law worried at home, and make Wanyi Dalang worry about whether something happened to me. It's dark and the road is long, and I don't have your good skills, I might accidentally fall off the horse..."
Before he could finish his words, Chen Jingzong threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the face.
Chen Bozong moved the pillow away and said, "Tell me, what made the princess angry with you? Did she accuse you of being rude, or did she dislike you for not being clean?"
Chen Jingzong: "Your two sentences seem to be saying that I deserved the blame, and she did nothing wrong."
Chen Bozong: "Forgive me for my limited knowledge. I really can't imagine how the princess would offend you."
Chen Jingzong snorted heavily.
He was angry, but no matter how angry he was, no matter how stupid Princess Nankang was, since it concerned her reputation, Chen Jingzong could not tell his brother about Nankang's stupid words.
Chen Bozong: "Let's not talk about that. You and the princess have been married for almost three years, and you have some affection for each other. Now you have ignored the princess for more than half a month. Aren't you afraid that the affection will fade away?"
Chen Jingzong: "I didn't ignore her, and I don't have the ability to do that. You're worrying my mother, and she might wish I didn't go back."
If a husband from an ordinary family ignores his wife for half a month, that is called neglect. He is just a consort...
Chen Bozong: "I understand. You are hurt by the princess. If a woman runs back to her parents' home in anger, she will not calm down until the princess comes to take you back, right?"
Chen Jingzong: "…Since you are a scholar, I don't bother to hit you."
Chen Bozong: "Alright, you are my brother after all, I still prefer you, tomorrow I will tell my mother to persuade the princess to come to the guardhouse to pick you up in person."
Chen Jingzong: …
He clenched his fists, hesitating whether to punch his brother.
While he was hesitating, Chen Bochong fell asleep. The work at the Dali Temple was not easy, and Chen Bochong was really tired after riding for so long on an empty stomach.
Although he was tired, it was still dark outside the next day. Chen Bozong woke up, got out of bed in the dark, lit the copper lamp, and looked at the clepsydra.
Fortunately, there is no early court session today. If he leaves now, he can get to the Dali Temple in time to carry out his duties.
When Chen Bozong got dressed and was about to go out, Chen Jingzong, who seemed to be sleeping in the bed, suddenly said, "I will go back tonight, you don't have to come again."
.
The weather is getting colder and it gets dark earlier.
After dinner, Huayang prepared to go to bed.
Four big maids silently helped the princess change her clothes.
In the past, the prince consort came home almost every day. After dinner, the princess would either read a book or ask them to play chess. She would wait for the prince consort to come back and then go to bed with him.
Now that her husband is not coming back, there is no need for the princess to deliberately find things to kill time. As soon as winter comes, of course she will get into bed early and feel comfortable.
"What on earth is the Prince Consort so angry about?"
It was Chaoyun's turn to keep watch tonight. After the princess went to bed, Chaoyue, Chaolu and Chaolan returned to their small courtyard together. Although Chaoyue lived in another room, she brought the foot basin to the next room. The three sisters gathered together to talk.
"Who knows? I have tried to test the princess twice, but she acted as if nothing had happened. She didn't say anything and didn't seem to care much."
"It's better not to care. If the princess cared, she would be so sad that the prince consort didn't come back for so long!"
"Yes, as long as the princess is happy, she doesn't care where the prince consort lives. If he doesn't come back, the princess can go to bed early!"
After washing their feet and chatting, Chaoyue went to the next room. Chaolu and Chaolan also took off their clothes and got into bed.
Before I could even warm up the bed, I heard hurried footsteps, followed by Zhen'er's anxious voice: "Are you sisters asleep? The Prince Consort is back!"
The little maids do the rough work, while the real work of serving the masters is done by the senior maids!
After a period of chaos, Chaolu, Chaolan and Chaoyue checked each other's appearance and made sure everything was correct, then hurried to the main courtyard together.
In the backyard, the prince consort had not arrived yet, and the lights in the inner room, the side room, and the main hall were not on. Chao Yun was standing under the eaves holding a lantern.
Chaolu exhaled a cloud of white mist and asked in a low voice: "Why don't you light the lamp?"
Chao Yun snorted, "The princess has already gone to bed, what are you ordering? If the prince consort is coming back, he should have said hello in advance. You can't expect that the princess will entertain him with a good temper whenever he wants to come back."
This was true, and the three maids all agreed with it. However, Chaolu still asked curiously, "Have you reported this to the princess?"
Zhaolu: "Did the princess tell you not to light the lamp?"
Chao Yun: "The princess just hummed and said nothing else."
The four older maids had been following the princess since they were seven or eight years old. They understood that the princess's "hmm" was actually giving the prince consort a chance. If the prince consort had an urgent matter or really wanted to see the princess, the princess would be willing to see him.
After waiting for a while, a lamp appeared in the corridor, and the person holding the lamp was naturally the prince consort.
It was difficult to see clearly from a distance, but when the prince consort came closer, the four maids discovered that he must have taken a bath, as his hair was still wet.
Chen Jingzong looked at the four maids standing in a row with different expressions, then looked at the dark rooms at the back and asked, "Is the princess asleep?"
Chao Yue: "Yes, the prince consort came back at this time, but what important matter has happened?"
This was a little ironic. If the prince consort was just busy with military training, it would be fine if he gave advance notice and stayed outside for half a year or a year. But they all knew that the prince consort left in anger and staying outside was just to vent his anger on the princess. Fortunately, the princess was different. If it was an ordinary woman, and her husband didn't come back for more than half a month in anger, this woman would be pitied.
Chen Jingzong: "Prepare the meal."
After saying that, he went straight to the main room.
The four maids only had imposing manners, but when they faced the tall and cold figure of the prince consort who was gradually approaching, the four maids subconsciously made way and watched the prince consort go in.
Of course, this was also because the princess did not signal them to stop the prince consort, otherwise they would have protected the princess even at the risk of being beaten by the prince consort.
After looking at each other for a moment, Chaoyue went to the kitchen.
Chao Lan went to prepare hot tea for the prince consort. Chao Yun and Chao Lu walked in and found that the prince consort had actually lit the light in the side room and was already sitting there, making it clear that he was going to eat in the side room like before.
A quarter of an hour later, Chao Yue brought a bowl of steaming hot noodles and whispered, "The kitchen didn't know that the prince consort was coming back, so they didn't leave any rice. Eunuch Feng cooked a bowl of noodles first. If the prince consort wants to eat something else, I'll ask Eunuch Feng to make it again."
Chen Jingzong: "Just eat noodles, you don't need to serve me here."
The four maids did not move.
Chen Jingzong sneered: "Don't worry, I don't have the courage to do anything to the princess."
The four maids then temporarily retreated to the main room.
Chen Jingzong glanced at the door of the inner room and lowered his head to eat noodles.
He ate very quickly but didn't make much noise. It was just that the night was too quiet, and even though there was a door, a screen, and a veil between them, Huayang, who was sleeping on the bed, still heard it.
She was already feeling a little sleepy, but when she learned that Chen Jingzong had returned home, she became alert again. She didn't know if something had happened, nor did she know what he was angry about recently.
If it was just because of the Nankang incident, he would be really angry.
Chen Jingzong finished his bowl of noodles and drank all the soup. He rinsed his mouth and asked the maids to come in and clean up.
When Chaoyun entered the room first, she saw that the prince consort had already pushed open the door of the inner room, leaving only a glimpse of his back to her.
The four big maids were guarding the side room in silence. If anything wrong was heard from inside, they would rush in to protect their master.
Inner room.
Chen Jingzong didn't turn on the lamp. He walked to the box where bedding was kept and took out a quilt.
He entered the bed and skillfully spread the quilt on the ground. Then he took down the empty quilt from the bed and lay down without caring whether the princess was awake or not.
Huayang heard his breathing, like the wind outside the window, heavy.
She lay in silence.
But it is winter now, the winter in the capital. Even if there is a heating system and you sleep on the ground, you can easily catch a cold and get sick.
Huayang suddenly sneered.
The man on the ground paused for breath.
Huayang: "You either don't come back or sleep in the front yard. You came to sleep on the floor beside me. You know I'm a fairy who has come down to earth and I'm easily soft-hearted. You deliberately want me to sleep uneasy, right?"
No matter how beautiful she was, she never considered herself a fairy. These words were said by Chen Jingzong himself, mocking her for being too kind-hearted.
Chen Jingzong: "I don't want to come back either, but my mother insists on urging me to do so. What can I do?"
Huayang: "You can sleep in the front yard."
Chen Jingzong: "I can go back to the front yard, but I'm afraid that if it takes too long, you won't see me and you'll accuse me of sleeping with the maid behind your back. I tend to be kind to fair-skinned and beautiful women, and if I give you a handle, I won't be able to defend myself."
Huayang: …
"Just because I said you were interested in Nankang, you are so angry?"
Chen Jingzong: "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated."
Huayang: "You still insulted me for being interested in the eldest and third brothers. What did I say?"
Chen Jingzong: "You are not angry because you know I just said it casually. I don't really doubt that you will have anything with them."
Huayang: "I just said it casually. You are my consort now, how could you covet other women?"
Chen Jingzong: "What you mean is that if I were not your consort, I would pounce on any fair and beautiful woman."
Huayang snorted, "You would have known that. When we were newly married, I was just a fair and beautiful woman to you. If you had treated me like a princess, you wouldn't have been so rude."
She never thought that her handsome and heroic husband would hug her and call her "ancestor" on the first night. It was neither gentle nor elegant.
Chen Jingzong: "... You also said that you are newly married and in the bridal chamber, so it is only natural for me to pounce on you."
Huayang pulled up the quilt and covered his ears.
Chen Jingzong sat up, his vision blurred, he could only see an indistinct figure arched up in the quilt.
He gritted his teeth and said, "I pounced on you because you are fair and beautiful, but I will treat just any fair and beautiful person like an ancestor and serve them."
The quilt made Huayang's voice sound muffled: "That's right, she's not the princess's. You can sleep with her if you want. There's no need to accommodate her. Didn't you also say that if I weren't the princess, you would have killed me on the first night?"
Chen Jingzong: "... I've said so many things, but you only remember this?"
Huayang: "What else serious things have you said?"
Chen Jingzong was silent.
Just when Huayang thought he was speechless, the quilt on his head was suddenly lifted by him.
Before Huayang could take two breaths of fresh air, his earlobe was suddenly pinched.
Chen Jingzong twisted it slightly and said in a deep voice: "I said that I only want you, not to mention one night, one month, one year is fine, as long as you are willing to give it to me. I also said that even if you divorce me one day, I will not look for anyone else, but will go to the Princess's Mansion to find you. You can't remember all this, right?"
Huayang: "You call this serious?"
Chen Jingzong: "I think so in my heart, so they are all serious words. Some people swear to you forever, but they may not really mean it in their hearts."
Huayang was speechless.
Chen Jingzong: "Anyway, remember this. You said I don't care about anything else. If you still treat me like a pig who can sleep with any woman and serve me, I..."
Huayang was listening, wanting to see what harsh words he would say.
Chen Jingzong pinched her earlobe, thought about it, and only thought of a practical way that would prevent her family from interfering: "I will sleep on the floor every night and not even touch a fairy like you to prove my innocence."
Huayang: …
(End of this chapter)