Chirp--Chirp--
Early the next morning, Zhu Ping'an woke up to the sound of beautiful birds singing. He opened his eyes in a daze, and was dazzled by the bright sunshine outside the window. He closed his eyes and subconsciously reached out to block the sunlight.
I felt a little bit of difficulty breathing, as if a heavy object was pressing down on me, or as if there was a snake wrapped around me, slippery and slippery.
"Whimsing"
Zhu Ping'an was startled when he heard a lazy moan in his ears, and then the memory of last night came back to his mind.
Open your eyes again.
Li Shu's pretty fair face was resting on his shoulder, her dark cloud-like hair was floating on the pillow like silk, a slender white arm like tender lotus root was around his chest, and a pair of long legs that were white, reflective, dazzlingly beautiful, and so beautiful that it would make people lick the screen were pressed on his lower abdomen.
Hug each other tightly and sleep in each other's arms.
Like a beautiful snake, it wrapped around me.
Frankly speaking, it was early in the morning when "Uncle Chen" came, and when he opened his eyes he saw Li Shu's naked body. It was impossible for Zhu Ping'an not to react.
"Hmm... something is hurting..."
Li Shu moaned and woke up in a daze. She felt something poking her thigh and could not help but frowning.
"Good morning..." Zhu Ping'an's body was stiff.
"morning... ... "
Li Shu had blurry eyes and replied half asleep, as if she had not yet fully woken up from her sleep.
Yes, I was busy for too long last night and slept so late, I still haven’t gotten enough sleep...
"Zhu Ping'an, why do you hide things when you sleep? It's so long, aren't you afraid of hurting yourself..."
Feeling the pain on her thigh, Li Shu couldn't help but frown again, pouting and asking for an explanation. Then she stretched out her slender hand and grabbed the culprit, pulling it out, as if she wanted to see what Zhu Ping'an was hiding.
Huh
Can’t pull it out
Li Shu couldn't help but increase her strength.
“It hurts…”
Under such circumstances, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but scream out, his brows were furrowed more severely than Li Shu's, and his expression was very strange. There was shame in his pain, innocence in his shame, and his lips were a little pale.
Um
Li Shu looked up at Zhu Ping'an, and seeing Zhu Ping'an's weird expression, Li Shu couldn't help but be stunned. Her slender jade hand subconsciously pinched it again, and then she suddenly realized what was in her hand. Her slender jade hand shrank back as if she touched a snake, and her pretty face suddenly turned red.
"Zhu Ping'an, you, you are shameless!" Li Shu was embarrassed and annoyed. Her pretty face turned red as if blood was about to drip out. She pouted her lips and spat.
"I, this is a normal reaction..." Zhu Ping'an said shyly and angrily.
"Whose normal reaction is this? What's in your head..." Li Shu rolled her eyes and said angrily.
“You.”
Zhu Pingan replied.
Next second
Zhu Pingan begged for mercy, "It hurts..."
... ...
"Hua'er, Miss and son-in-law haven't gotten up yet? It's almost time to pay respects to the old lady."
Outside the bedroom, Qin'er walked into the living room and saw the chubby little maid waiting in the ear room, and asked anxiously.
"Shh, keep your voice down..." The little maidservant stretched out her hand and placed it on her lips, being very nervous and cautious.
Seeing
Qin'er quickly stopped talking, and then the sounds from the bedroom faintly reached her ears. Qin'er's face suddenly turned red, from her ears to her neck and then to her whole body, all the way to her heels.
After a while, Li Shu's voice came from the bedroom, asking Baozi and the other maids to go in and serve.
By the time the maid Baozi and Qin'er went in to serve, Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu had already put on their clothes and got out of bed.
The bedroom was filled with a faint scent of chestnut blossoms...
It was already past the time to pay respects to the old lady, but Li Shu didn't care too much. While Baozi and Qin'er were serving, she sent a maid to ask for leave from the old lady, saying that she was not feeling well, and would pay respects to the old lady later.
"The young lady has become more beautiful now..." the chubby little maid couldn't help but sigh while serving Li Shu.
"Yeah, the lady's skin is whiter and more tender." Qin'er nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"What a lie..."
Li Shu pouted and looked at her face in the mirror. It was white with a rosy glow, pink and tender, shiny and elastic. She blinked slightly.
Zhu Ping'an washed himself and brushed his teeth with the Ming Dynasty toothbrush and toothpaste, which were typical of the era. The toothbrush was the prototype of the modern toothbrush. The toothpaste was made into a paste using medicinal herbs such as Poria cocos. It was usually kept in a porcelain bottle and poured onto the toothbrush when used.
After washing up, the maids brought up the breakfast, which was prepared by the cook in the small kitchen of Tingyuxuan.
Clear porridge, side dishes including shrimp cakes, poria cake, osmanthus cake, and soup dumplings.
Although it doesn’t taste as good as the one made by Li Shu, it is also a rare delicacy when paired with the tender cucumbers pickled by Li Shu.
Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu were eating at the table, and Baozi and Qin'er were standing by to serve Li Shu. After Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu finished their breakfast, Baozi and Qin'er took the remaining food off the table and gave it to the maids outside. The cook left breakfast for the two in the small kitchen, which was the treatment for the eldest maids. The two of them filled their stomachs in the small kitchen.
Shortly after breakfast, a little maid came trotting in to report that the gatekeeper had delivered an urgent message to the inner courtyard, saying that someone from the palace had come with the emperor's oral order to be delivered to Zhu Ping'an.
The emperor’s oral order
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ping'an did not dare to delay. He quickly straightened his clothes, told Li Shu not to worry, and walked out quickly.
Why did Emperor Jiajing want to give him an oral order? Not knowing what the order was, Zhu Ping'an walked while thinking, and before he knew it, he had left the inner courtyard.
"Sir, over here, the nobles from the palace are in the main hall."
Steward Li from the Linhuai Marquis's Mansion was waiting for Zhu Ping'an outside the Chuihua Gate. He had never come into contact with eunuchs from the palace before, and he didn't know whether the tea and gifts served were appropriate. He couldn't help feeling a little nervous when he saw Zhu Ping'an going out. He hurriedly reminded him as if he had seen a savior.
"Well, thank you, Mr. Li."
Zhu Ping'an nodded and went to the main hall with Butler Li.
Because the eunuch who came from the palace was to convey oral instructions to Zhu Ping'an, the old lady and others in the mansion did not come to pay their respects.
Zhu Ping'an entered the main hall and saw the eunuch sitting in the middle chair sipping tea. He couldn't help but smile, bowed and stepped forward to apologize, saying, "Haha, Eunuch Feng came from afar, and I didn't greet you. I'm so rude."
"Haha, Lord Zhu is too polite. I haven't even congratulated you on joining the cabinet yet." Feng Bao, who was sitting on a chair drinking tea, smiled when he saw Zhu Ping'an. He immediately put down his teacup, stood up and bowed to greet Zhu Ping'an.
"Eunuch Feng, you are joking. I dare not claim to be in the cabinet. I am Si Zhilang, who just runs errands and serves tea for the elders. If the elders sneeze, I will fall down." Zhu Ping'an shook his head and smiled bitterly.