Shuzhu and Yinglan were both maids that Ruan Yuewei brought from the Marquis's Mansion. They had served her since they were young and only listened to her.
No matter what she did, they would naturally stand on her side.
The palace maids would not disobey the Crown Princess on such a small matter.
Ruan Yuewei walked towards the garden with a maid.
There is only a winding path in the maple forest, with glazed lanterns dotted sparsely on the side, like an inverted galaxy of stars.
Ruan Yuewei walked along the path into the depths of the plum forest. Her heart beat faster with every step. When she saw the familiar figure, her heart was already beating like a drum.
Huan Xuan was wearing a purple robe with cloud and crane patterns woven with gold, a purple jade crown, and a jade-beam, gold-basket, and precious-ornament belt around his waist. The purple color, woven with gold threads, would have looked tacky if worn by someone else, even if it wasn't ugly. But on him, he looked even more like a jade mountain, shining brightly on everyone.
Ruan Yuewei unconsciously cupped her hands over her chest, as if she was afraid that her beating heartbeat would be heard.
Huan Xuan was a little surprised. He had just argued with Huan Minggui, that scoundrel, at the banquet and felt very upset. He didn't want to listen to him talk about how he coveted the hunter girl, so he went out for a walk. He never expected to meet Ruan Yuewei here.
They were only separated from the female guests by a screen. When he left the table just now, the noise must have been heard over there. With Ruan Yuewei's cautious personality, she should have avoided suspicion.
He glanced at the maidservant behind her, who had been serving her since childhood. He became more and more puzzled. She deliberately sent away the palace servants and ventured into the woods for an "accidental encounter". Could something have happened
Seeing the person he had been thinking about day and night should have been a pleasant surprise, but perhaps because his suspicion and worry diluted it, there was not much joy in his eyes.
"Hello, sister-in-law." He performed the family greetings.
The word "Auntie" was like a needle that pierced Ruan Yuewei's heart. Her face turned pale and she forced a smile, "How are you, Third Brother?"
Huan Xuan thought about what he had done in the past and found it inexplicably difficult to speak.
Ruan Yuewei had personally crushed his fantasy three years ago. Now she was married and he didn't owe her anything. Taking in the hunter girl was his own business and had nothing to do with Ruan Yuewei.
But he was still a little annoyed. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you for asking, sister-in-law. I'm fine."
Ruan Yue smiled bitterly: "Then I feel relieved."
It is a bit strange to talk about this kind of thing now that time has passed.
Huan Xuan said calmly, "How are you, sister-in-law? Are you used to living in the East Palace?"
His eyes fell on her black fox fur coat.
This black fox fur coat was extremely rare. The emperor only got one piece at the beginning. He kept one for himself, gave one to his wife, and gave the remaining three to his eldest son and second son.
It was not until he put down the Anxi Rebellion that his father gave him his own piece.
The dress that Ruan Yuewei was wearing was the prince's dress that had been scaled down, which showed how much Huan Rong loved her.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince treats me very well." Ruan Yuewei said softly.
She pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled slightly. The glass lamp swayed in the wind. The light and shadow on her face flowed gently like water, almost making people think she was crying.
Her expression did indeed seem as if she was about to cry.
Huan Xuan glanced towards the end of the path and could vaguely see palace maids and eunuchs coming and going.
Ruan Yuewei is now the Crown Princess. Even if he doesn't care about her reputation, he can't let her be gossiped about. Over the years, protecting her has become his unconscious habit.
"Take care, sister-in-law. I'll leave you now." He bowed, walked straight past her, and strode out of the woods.
Ruan Yuewei turned around and stared at his receding back in a daze, feeling indescribable.
As a husband, the Crown Prince indeed treats her well. She has been working hard for the position of Crown Princess since she was a child, and now she has finally got what she wanted. But is this really what she wanted
When she was in the harem, the prince already had many concubines around him, all of whom were extremely beautiful. When the prince took a wife, he also took in a concubine.
Who would be willing to share their husband with so many people once they get married
However, her husband was the prince, and she couldn't even express her grievances.
Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she couldn't help but think of Huan Xuan's words at the Ba Bridge three years ago: "If I marry Atang, I will only stay with you for the rest of my life and never look at other women."
She knew that he was not trying to coax her, he could do it.
Only now did she realize what she had lost.
…
When Huan Xuan arrived at the banquet, the prince stared at him for a while and smiled cordially: "Where did you go? Why did you take so long?"
"I just took a walk in the back garden." Huan Xuan said.
The prince said nothing more, but asked the eunuch to pour wine for him.
Late at night, Huan Xuan stood up to say goodbye. The drunken Prince Yuzhang put his arm around his shoulders and insisted on taking him out for a night walk with candlelight.
Huan Xuan brushed the arm off his shoulder with an expressionless face, bowed to the prince, and left the banquet hall.
Gao Mai asked: "Your Highness, is the mansion still..."
Before he could finish, Huan Xuan said impatiently, "Go to Chang'anfang."
After the banquet, the guests left one after another. The prince ordered the eunuchs to settle the drunken guest, and then went to the Crown Princess's bedroom - since he married her, he would stay with her for seven or eight days out of ten.
The female relatives left the banquet early, and the prince was afraid that his wife had already gone to bed, so he did not let the palace servants inform her and went straight into the palace.
A nine-branched lantern tree was lit in the bedroom. Ruan Yuewei had already finished her bath and was wearing a jade-white nightgown and a sky-blue brocade half-sleeve. Her lotus-like face was flushed by the alcohol.
She was sitting in front of an embroidery frame, apparently embroidering, but she was just holding the needle in a daze, not stitching a single stitch for a long time.
"What are you thinking about?" the prince laughed.
Ruan Yuewei then noticed someone was there. A hint of panic flashed across her eyes, but then she returned to her usual gentle and elegant appearance, put down her needle and thread, stood up and greeted him.
The prince supported her and said, "I told you that there is no need to be so formal between you and me."
Ruan Yue lowered her eyebrows slightly and said "OK", then went to untie the belt of his cloak.
Before she could untie it, the prince suddenly grabbed her hand.
Ruan Yue was startled and pulled her hand away unconsciously.
The prince was startled, then he seemed to notice nothing, raised his hand and stroked her blushing cheek: "Did you drink at the banquet? Did your sister force you to drink? She is just like that, don't take it to heart."
Ruan Yue's tense heartstrings relaxed: "I don't need to worry about that. My sister is just straightforward and easy to get along with."
"That's good." The prince nodded slightly.
Everyone undressed, turned off the lights and went to bed.
After making love, the prince waited for the woman beside him to breathe more heavily, then stood up, put on his clothes and walked outside the palace. He called the eunuch and asked, "Did the princess leave the banquet today?"
The eunuch's eyes flickered, and after hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and reported the Crown Princess's whereabouts one by one.
The prince's face gradually darkened.
…
Sui Sui was used to being woken up in the middle of the night, but Huan Xuan was acting out of character today. He didn't send the eunuch to call her, but went straight to her yard.
Qixia Pavilion was only a stone's throw away from Qinghan Courtyard, but every time she would go there to serve the emperor in bed after bathing, changing clothes, and dressing up. This was Huan Xuan's first time setting foot here.
The small courtyard was hidden in a maple forest. The maple leaves had already fallen and there were no lights on in the forest. It was a night with thick clouds covering the sky, with only the stars and the moon shining dimly, and it was pitch black everywhere.
An oil lamp was lit in the room, illuminating the window. The small room looked like a small boat floating in the night sky, looking a little desolate and lonely.
Such a small courtyard is naturally far from the tall and magnificent houses and the orchid and osmanthus rooms.
There was no servant waiting in the corridor, so Huan Xuan frowned and lifted the curtain to go into the room. He saw the hunter's woman wearing a middle-length dress with a green cloth jacket on the outside, and cloth shoes on her bare feet. She was sitting in front of the dressing table, with Nanny Gao combing her hair.
There was a charcoal basin burning in the room, but it was not much warmer than outside. The charcoal was coarse, not as good as the silver charcoal in his yard. The smoke was a little heavy, but it inexplicably had a warm earthly smell.
When Grandma Gao saw him, she was quite surprised. Her grip loosened and the poplar wood comb slid to the ground along Sui Sui's long hair.
He stood up, bowed, and picked up the comb.
Grandma Gao asked, "Why is Your Highness here?"
Huan Xuan glanced at Sui Sui and said "hmm". He couldn't say that he was impatient to wait.
Grandma Gao said again, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will change Madam Lu's clothes for her."
"No need." Huan Xuan said.
It won't last long anyway.
"You guys go back." He glanced at the maids in the room.
Grandma Gao hesitated and said, "But this room..."
No one knew better than her how picky His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi was. Although Lu Suisui's house was clean and tidy, according to his standards, it was probably not habitable.
Huan Xuan said: "It doesn't matter. When you are at the border, you can live in the wilderness."
This is indeed true. When he is on the march, he can endure any harsh environment.
When Grandma Gao heard this, her nose was sore and her eyes were hot. She complained to Ruan Sanniang in her heart again. If it weren't for her, their prince would not have to suffer this hardship.
Now that he doesn't have a wife, he keeps a concubine and hangs out with this country girl all day long. Isn't this all Ruan Yuewei's fault
The old nanny angrily led a maid to retreat to the corridor and closed the door.
The room suddenly became quiet.
Huan Xuan glanced at Sui Sui's half-worn blue cloth robe and frowned: "It's ugly."
As he said this, he tore it off and said, "Are you short of clothes to wear?"
Sui Sui shook his head.
It's just that old clothes are comfortable and she is used to wearing them. The new ones that Nanny Gao had made look nice, but they are all made of light gauze, with wide sleeves and loose belts, and they are very cumbersome with so many layers. She could only sit around in them, and they would get caught here and there when she did a little work.
It looked much better when only the middle garment was left on. Huan Xuan did not hesitate to hold her back and walked towards the couch.
The bed was small, just right for one person to sleep on, but it would be too crowded for two people. Once the curtains were drawn, there was no room to move.
It was as if we were packed in a cramped box. But being small also had its advantages, as any silence or sound could be maximized.
Of course, there was no incense here like in his room. There was a faint fragrance lingering on the curtains and mattresses. He couldn't tell what the smell was, but it was like an incense that ignited his heart and rushed straight into his blood.
The couch was not like the rosewood bed in Qinghan Courtyard. The wood was light and the mortise and tenon joints were not strong enough. If you exerted too much force on it, it would creak and shake, which made people blush and their hearts beat fast. However, Huan Xuan was not a person who would let himself be wronged. He continued to move vigorously, even more fiercely than usual.
They were already familiar with each other's bodies, and soon, he easily threw her into the clouds. While she was calming down, he hugged her from behind, lifted her long hair, buried his face in her neck, and smelled her warm fragrance: "Did you go to the West Market today?"
Sui Sui was slightly stunned. Her voice didn't sound like Ruan Yuewei's, so he didn't like her to make a sound when doing this, and he never talked to her. This was the first time.
Sui Sui could hear a hint of drunkenness in his voice, but his tone was sober. She was unsure what he meant for a moment, so she just uttered "hmm" vaguely.
He clenched his hands tighter: "Who did you meet?"
Sui Sui's heart shuddered and his body stiffened. Could it be that his whereabouts had been discovered
Huan Xuan's breath suddenly became unstable, and his voice trembled a little: "Relax..."
Sui Sui said: "No one is seen."
"Don't tell the truth." Huan Xuan's voice was somewhat cold, and his long fingers pressed, pulled and lifted, as if he was torturing someone to extract a confession.
Sui Sui's breath was choked and she bit her lips tightly.
"I'll give you another chance." The man paused, tightened his hands, and found the arrow wound on her shoulder with his lips.
He treated her as Ruan Yuewei's substitute. Whenever he saw the wound, he would inevitably think of reality and feel disgusted.
But now, looking closely, I saw that the wound that had been healed for half a year was still slightly red. At first glance, it looked like a small plum blossom, set against the snow-like skin. Instead of being ugly, it added an indescribable beauty.
He knew that such a half-new wound would itch if touched, so he deliberately rubbed it with his lips and teeth. Feeling her shrink, he suddenly bit her hard, "How does buttermilk taste?"
Sui Sui's tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed. It turned out that he was referring to this matter.
Seeing that she was silent, Huan Xuan turned her over, stared down at her eyes, pinched her jaw, and rubbed her lips heavily with his fingertips: "Do you really think you are dumb?"
He didn't treat her well, and was very cautious when doing that, but he rarely spoke in such a bad tone.
The hunter girl still looked at him tenderly, with tears in her eyes, and it was hard to tell whether they were tears or something else. No matter how he treated her, even if he said bad things to her, she didn't care.
She explained calmly: "I don't know that gentleman..."
Before the words fell, the sound was already broken into pieces.
"I never mentioned any young master," Huan Xuan tortured her viciously, hissing in her ear, "You said it again?"
He was just trying to accuse her of something, so she stopped trying to defend herself and just said calmly, "If Your Highness doesn't allow me to go out, I won't go out."
Anyway, her people who don't go out have a way to pass on the message.
"Didn't I tell you not to go out?" he said with a gloomy face.
Sui Sui realized that he was just looking for trouble today, so he simply shut up and didn't argue with him.
But after she said that, Huan Xuan came to his senses. There was really no reason for his anger. After all, he just wanted a substitute. He had fulfilled his duty by serving her wholeheartedly when she came. Once he left, she had nothing to do with him. He should not worry about where she went or who she met.
But just now in the East Palace, he saw Huan Minggui coveting her, and he felt indescribably depressed.
Huan Xuan stared fiercely at her flushed cheeks and her bright red lips which were slightly parted due to her shortness of breath.
Or was it because of this face, he thought to himself. He just couldn't stand this hunter girl going out with this face to attract men - as for the fact that Huan Minggui had never seen her face, he conveniently ignored it.
Since his anger was justified, Huan Xuan felt more justified in torturing her. He tormented her for a long time and made everyone exhausted.
I don't know where his quirks come from. Whenever he feels unhappy, he will bite and gnaw. What's more, he has a pair of particularly sharp fangs, which would always break his skin and cause burning pain.
She was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping and she couldn't open her eyes. She couldn't see the face and naturally had no patience to give in.
She just hoped that he would return to her Qinghan Courtyard soon and give up his bed so that she could have a comfortable sleep.
But the King of Qi had no intention of leaving.
He waited for a long while, but the hunter girl didn't stand up to serve him, so he had to order someone to bring him water. He said disdainfully, "It's really inconvenient for you to bathe outside the house."
In his Qinghan Courtyard, the bathroom was built next to the bedroom. Inside it was a bathing pool of about ten feet square. Stone pipes delivered hot water directly into the pool. With just a command, one could take a hot bath in a moment.
Since it is inconvenient, why not just go to your own yard and do whatever you want.
But she must never say this out loud. If she angered him, she would be the one who would suffer.
Huan Xuan was a bit of a germaphobe and always had to take a shower and change clothes after sex, but this time he just went to the bathroom and quickly washed himself and changed his underwear.
When he got to the room, he saw the hunter girl wiping herself beside the couch, her skin covered with marks he had deliberately left.
I have to admit that Huan Minggui has a sharp vision.
This woman is indeed beautiful. Just her back standing in this humble room makes one feel that the humble house is shining.
Does she know that she is coveted
I think she knows it. Even the villagers can tell the difference between beauty and ugliness. She must know that she is beautiful.
But judging from her expression and attitude, she didn't seem to take her beauty seriously, as if it was just her most important advantage.
No wonder Huan Minggui, a lecher who was used to seeing beautiful women, also looked at her with new eyes.
Such a beauty naturally had no shortage of admirers. But she only admired him in her heart, and her body and heart were all marked by him.
This woman is his.
It was he who rescued her from the deep mountains and forests and brought her here.
From body to soul, she was original and complete, belonging only to him.
He felt a sense of satisfaction from the bottom of his heart.
She glanced at him and saw that he had finished washing and changed into clean clothes, but did not go back to his yard to sleep. He stood here looking at her in a daze. She didn't know what he was up to.
Huan Xuan lifted up the clean undershirt that was folded beside the couch, wrapped her up and rubbed her, then threw away the clothes and carried her to bed.
Sui Sui's body suddenly stiffened. She was exhausted to the extreme both physically and mentally. If he tried to come back again, she might not be able to resist kicking him off the bed.
However, Huan Xuan did not take any further action. He just pulled his pants tight, hugged her from behind, nudged her knees with his knees, and curled her up a little, like a miser holding his gold nugget.
He rubbed the tip of his nose behind her ear, took a deep sniff at her neck, hummed with satisfaction, and stopped.
Sui Sui lay there alert for a while, feeling the breathing behind her neck slowly slowing down and becoming heavier. She realized that the man was asleep, and then she closed her eyes.
…
When Sui Sui woke up, it was already noon, and the winter sun illuminated the room brightly.
She opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself still in Huan Xuan's arms.
As soon as she woke up, the man also woke up, frowned, and tightened his arms: "Don't mess around."
Sui Sui had just woken up, so he was not so cautious when he said, "Your Highness is not going to the palace?"
Although Huan Xuan was a prince and held an official position, he was required to enter the palace early in the morning to attend the regular court.
Sui Sui naturally would not think that he was blinded by lust and was so obsessed with it that he even missed court - there were times in the past when he stayed up all night, but he always went to court on time and then woke up to catch up on sleep.
"I've asked for leave and will not go to the palace today." Huan Xuan said.
Whenever one hears music and feels elegant, it means something is happening in the court.
After a brief thought, she realized that the court was probably arguing over his military power again.
The Shenyi Army is the most important military force of the imperial court. In the past, it was commanded by eunuchs trusted by the emperor. Three years ago, Huan Xuan was just a young man who had never led a soldier or fought in a war. Because of his high status, he nominally held the seal of commander, but the real power was still in the hands of the eunuch Meng Ping'an.
In the past few years on the border, he had done nothing and seemed to be just an idle prince who had nothing to do with military affairs and went to the border to gain experience.
Until a year ago, the Anxi rebels made a comeback and colluded with the Tibetans to sweep across the town. Their military force was unstoppable. The eunuchs only knew how to abuse their power and make money. When they saw the army approaching, they immediately lost their minds and actually abandoned the city and fled.
The army was filled with complaints, and Huan Xuan took prompt action to seize the military power, executed the eunuch Meng Ping'an, gathered the remaining troops, turned defeat into victory, and won a series of great victories, actually turning the tide.
Although Meng Ping'an deserted the battlefield and should be executed according to the law, Prince Huan Xuan's execution of the eunuchs angered the eunuchs.
In addition to offending the eunuchs, his own military power would of course make the prince wary - although the brothers had a falling out because of Ruan Yuewei, they were fighting for more than just Ruan Yuewei.
It is not known whether Huan Xuan had any idea about the position of crown prince, but the fact that the Anxi rebellion had been quelled but he was unwilling to hand over the tiger talisman to Prince An was a glimpse of his intention.
In addition, there is the emperor's attitude. He appointed his second son as the crown prince, but allowed his third son to be transformed from a powerless prince into the commander of the Divine Wing Army. This is really intriguing.
Sui Sui's thoughts drifted away slowly, and he recalled what Huan Ye said before he went to Beijing. He wanted to give the position of crown prince to his second brother.
Thinking of Huan Ye, her heart seemed to hit by something, causing a dull pain. Before she had time to think about it, she had already pushed away the hand around her waist.
Almost at that moment, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
Sui Sui couldn't help but let out a light cry.
Huan Xuan then let go of his mouth and put his arms around her waist again, holding her even tighter than before.
After all the nonsense last night, he didn't have any other thoughts, but her behavior just now annoyed him.
I just let him do what he wanted, and soon my breathing became rapid.
Huan Xuan paused while pressing the key and pulled his hand away: "Does it hurt?"
Sui Sui hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"Just tell me if it hurts," Huan Xuan said, "You're so swollen and you're still silent. Do you really think you're mute?"
The hunter girl nodded silently, her amber eyes were clear and bright, her cheeks were slightly flushed from sleep, she looked like a loving man.
Huan Xuan's heart suddenly softened: "Have you used up the medicine sent from the mansion?"
Sui Sui was stunned for a moment before realizing what medicine he was talking about. He nodded, "There's more."
Huan Xuan said, "Remember to apply it yourself, and ask the nanny to clean it up after use. Don't save it."
He poked her in the back of her waist: "Otherwise you will suffer."
Sui Sui found that he was much more active than before, and he didn't know if something happened in the East Palace yesterday.
But this is not a good sign. The more you spend time together and the closer your relationship is, the easier it is for the truth to be revealed.
Just at this moment, a gust of north wind blew in, bringing the smell of medicine from under the corridor into the house. Sui Sui said, "It's time for me to get up and take the medicine."
Huan Xuan was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that she was referring to the contraceptive soup, and asked, "Do you know what medicine that is?"
"I am a commoner." Sui Sui said, without any resentment on her face, obviously she knew that she was not qualified to give birth to his child.
Huan Xuan liked people who were self-aware, so he nodded, stood up, put on his clothes, and looked around.
I didn't notice it last night because it was pitch dark, but when I looked at it during the day, I realized it was indeed shabby and crude.
"This yard is too small," he said, "I'll ask someone to change it for you."
Sui Sui immediately shook his head: "No, this place is ready."
Huan Xuan heard her say this, but did not force her: "Then what do you want?"
It was just a reward, probably because when she mentioned the contraceptive soup just now, her response met his expectations.
She thought for a moment and said, "I want a horse and a bow."
Huan Xuan raised his eyebrows: "What's the use of bows and horses?"
The purpose of learning archery and horse riding is, firstly, to practice archery, and secondly, to facilitate escape in the future.
Sui Sui said: "I was originally a hunter in the mountains, hunting is a skill to make a living."
Huan Xuan was a little displeased and raised his eyebrows: "Will I be able to deprive you of food and clothing? Do I have to rely on you to hunt for a living?"
The hunter girl was a little stubborn: "Archery is taught by Ayehism, and it cannot be abandoned."
Huan Xuan decided to reward her. Since she had asked, there was no reason to refuse. He nodded and said, "That's easy. I'll take you to the palace to choose a horse some other day."
He paused and said, "There used to be a polo field in this garden. I ordered people to clear it out and use it as a training ground. You can practice riding and archery there."
She only asked for one, but he gave her ten. He was really generous.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Sui Sui said.
Huan Xuan got out of bed, with his hair loose and a cloak over his underwear, and stared at the woman on the bed.
The hunter woman, however, had no intention of getting up and helping him change his clothes, and just looked at him with a little confusion.
Huan Xuan waited for a while, but she still didn't respond. He could only put on his clothes with a sullen face, fastened his belt, picked up the jade hairpin on the table and hastily tied his hair into a bun, then told someone to come and serve him.
A moment later, a maid brought contraceptive soup into the room. Huan Xuan glanced at the tray and saw that the large celadon bowl was as big as a child's face. The room was immediately filled with a bitter smell of medicine.
Huan Xuan frowned. Although this was natural, he still felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Sui Sui sat up, picked up the bowl skillfully, tilted his neck back, and drank it all in one gulp without even frowning.
Huan Xuan lifted the curtain and went out, his feet suddenly stopped. The yard was covered in silver, and the icicles on the grass and trees were shining in the warm sun, just like a curling world.
It turned out that when they were cuddling each other last night, the first snow of this winter was quietly falling outside.