Su Zhenzhen had fallen asleep leaning against the edge of the couch. When she woke up, she found that the person on the couch was already gone.
The windows were closed, but the morning light streamed into the room. It was another bright and sunny day.
She had slept right through the perfect opportunity to spend time alone with the beautiful youth. How could she ever successfully court him if she was this lazy?
Su Zhenzhen moved her stiff body, feeling as though she had slept on her neck wrong.
It was still early. A sudden commotion came from outside. The courtyard gate hadn't been closed, and a squad of armed Brocade Guards marched in, immediately beginning to search the small yard.
Su Zhenzhen stood in the corner with her head bowed, listening to the loud thumping of her own heartbeat.
The leader walked in and looked her up and down. "Have you seen a person dressed in black?"
Su Zhenzhen shook her head.
The squad of Brocade Guards happened to finish their search. "My lord, there is no one here."
"Let's go."
The Brocade Guards came and went in a flash.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
She thought her identity as a hidden spy had been exposed, but it turned out they were just looking for someone in black.
To dare trespass under such strict guard by the Brocade Guards... she didn't know if that person was insanely bold or just plain reckless.
Su Zhenzhen stepped out from the corner and was about to close the door when a drop of liquid suddenly fell onto her face.
She raised her hand to wipe her cheek, and a stark streak of crimson appeared.
Su Zhenzhen stood there, not daring to look up.
She lifted her foot, moving stiffly like a wooden puppet, trying to walk out of the room.
But the person hiding on the crossbeam was faster than her.
A dagger was silently pressed against her neck, followed by a low female voice. "Don't move."
Su Zhenzhen immediately froze.
"You know how to treat injuries?"
There were many herbs in the room, which prompted the person in black to ask.
Su Zhenzhen immediately replied, "I can. Don't kill me. I have medicine, I can treat your wounds."
The dagger against her neck was slowly withdrawn. "Turn around."
Su Zhenzhen turned around carefully and saw a masked woman in black behind her. She had a slender figure, with only her eyes visible, and there was a deep, bone-exposing slash on her arm.
Upon seeing Su Zhenzhen's face, the eyes of the person in black noticeably widened a fraction.
It definitely wasn't because she was stunned by her beauty, which meant she recognized her.
Su Zhenzhen opened her small medicine cabinet, took out a white porcelain bottle, and handed it to her. "To stop the bleeding."
The slender yet visibly strong person in black stared at Su Zhenzhen for a moment, then suddenly grabbed her arm and sliced a cut across the back of her hand.
"Ugh..."
You bastard!
Su Zhenzhen let out a pained groan and watched as the person in black sprinkled the medicine onto her wound.
Only after confirming there was no problem did the person in black apply the medicine to her own wound.
"Turn back around."
Su Zhenzhen obediently turned around.
The next moment, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck.
Chopped unconscious again.
Such a familiar pain.
The person in black caught the woman with one hand, dragged her onto the couch, cleaned up all traces in the room, and then leaped out the window.
-
Su Zhenzhen thought she must be dreaming, but even knowing it was a dream, it was still terrifying.
She had returned to the dark, damp imperial prison, and this time, the little eunuch hadn't come to save her.
The torture instruments she had seen last time were laid out in front of her, stained with mottled, old blood.
She saw a woman tied up on them, her black hair matted with blood, her white clothes soaked in crimson, barely clinging to life.
Hearing a sound, the person lifted her head and looked in her direction.
Su Zhenzhen saw that the person had her own face.
Hah... Su Zhenzhen gasped and woke up from her nightmare.
On such a hot day, she was drenched in cold sweat, and the wound on the back of her hand throbbed with pain.
The sky had already grown dark, and shadows crept in, but there was a warm light glowing inside the room.
A glazed lamp had appeared in the small room.
The little eunuch was standing in front of her medicine cabinet, curiously looking through the bizarre medicines she had made.
Su Zhenzhen sat up, looking dazed. She opened her tightly clenched palm and found a golden leaf resting inside.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
At first she wasn't sure, but now it seemed that the person in black was definitely Liu Tingyue.
Being in their line of work was truly dangerous.
Thinking of those vicious Brocade Guards rushing in, Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but shiver.
She might die at any moment.
Hearing the movement behind him, Lu Hexu turned around.
The woman sat there with a blank expression. Her long hair was messy, her clothes disheveled, and her face pale, as if her soul had been drained away.
Lu Hexu walked over. "You sleep too much."
Was it possible that she had actually passed out?
Perhaps the light in the room was too warm, or perhaps the youth in front of her was just too beautiful.
Su Zhenzhen looked up, the corners of her eyes slightly red. She leaned forward, reached out her arms, and hugged him.
The youth's body stiffened for a moment. He frowned instinctively and placed one hand on her shoulder.
[I am really so scared.]
[I don't want to be alone anymore.]
The fabric of the youth's clothes was soaked by her warm tears.
Lu Hexu lowered his eyes. The hand resting on the woman's shoulder ultimately did not exert any force to push her away.
She was crying so miserably.
He thought, how pitiful.
Su Zhenzhen was truly terrified.
She gripped the little eunuch's wide sleeves, her eyes swollen like walnuts. She tilted her face up, gazing at him, and her voice choked with sobs. "Would you be willing to become my paired companion?"
The little eunuch did not answer.
The room was very quiet, so quiet that the light in Su Zhenzhen's eyes gradually faded.
The arms she had wrapped around the little eunuch slowly slid down.
[What do I do? It hurts so much I feel like dying.]
A person who told him not to die was talking about dying all day long.
Just agreeing to her would be fine, right?
How troublesome.
"Alright."
Hmm?
-
In truth, Su Zhenzhen had just acted on impulse at the time. She really didn't expect Mu Dan to agree to it.
Also, it seemed he really had an eight-pack.
Su Zhenzhen touched her own face. When she had pressed against the youth's abdomen and wrapped her arms around that narrow waist, he had felt so slender. His waist was so thin, yet he actually had abs.
Although Su Zhenzhen wasn't a superstitious person, she still went to check the ancient almanac.
Tomorrow was the first day of the seventh month. July 1st, an auspicious day for marriage.
Su Zhenzhen took out the silver she had saved. She wanted to go down the mountain to buy some things for the wedding.
"Can we go down the mountain?"
According to the rules, as a palace maid, she wasn't allowed to leave the Qingliang Hall easily.
"Yes."
"Really?"
The little eunuch nodded at her. Then, after sunset the next day, he appeared at the courtyard gate with a token in his hand, waving her over.
Su Zhenzhen had packed up long ago and immediately followed him with her coin purse in hand.
Ever since Su Zhenzhen transmigrated into this book, she had spent nearly half a year in the imperial palace, confined by the palace walls and working like a horse. She originally thought she would have to wait until she was twenty-five to leave the palace. She never expected that, thanks to Mu Dan, she would get to come out early and experience the ancient city of Jinling.
Because it was summer, the days were hot and stuffy, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets. But once night fell, the people who had been cooped up all day came pouring out.
Along the way, there were restaurants, teahouses, and painted pleasure boats. The streets were bustling with people. Looking at the magnificent mountain-shaped lantern displays, the stretching lights were breathtakingly beautiful. She heard they were festive decorations from last month's Dragon Boat Festival that hadn't been taken down yet.
Su Zhenzhen appeared very excited. In contrast to her enthusiasm, the little eunuch seemed rather uninterested. Along the way, he kept his delicate brows furrowed, arms crossed over his chest, and wore a cold expression. He deliberately chose to walk in secluded, deserted areas, looking as if he utterly despised humanity.
However, the youth's face was simply too striking, making it impossible to stop young women from staring at him.
"Do you want a candied hawthorn stick?"
"No."
Su Zhenzhen bought two sticks of candied hawthorns anyway, giving one to Mu Dan and keeping the other for herself.
She didn't have much of a sweet tooth, and the candied hawthorns were a bit too cloying for her. She stopped after eating just one. When she turned her head, she saw the youth standing behind her; he had eaten all the sugar coating off his hawthorns, leaving behind a stick of bare fruit.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Since it was her first time getting married, Su Zhenzhen had no experience. Furthermore, it looked like the little eunuch had even less experience than she did.
Following her memory, she led Mu Dan to a preserved fruit shop, planning to buy things like jujubes and peanuts.
"Are you two getting married? Congratulations, may you be blessed with a child soon."
The shopkeeper was used to dealing with customers. Seeing that they were buying these specific items, the auspicious words rolled right off his tongue.
Uh.
Su Zhenzhen suddenly felt a bit awkward. It wasn't that she was embarrassed for herself, but rather, she was afraid it would be awkward for Mu Dan.
After all, they had no chance of having children anytime soon.
Perhaps they could learn from Wei Heng and adopt a godson.
She turned around and saw that the youth wasn't paying any attention to the shopkeeper's words. He was just staring at a box of amber-colored candies right in the middle of the shop.
"Oh, the young gentleman has a good eye. These are imported goods, called cream nut candies."
Su Zhenzhen asked, "Do you want to eat some?"
"No."
"Let's buy a little." Su Zhenzhen had the shopkeeper pack up a small amount. Just that tiny bit cost her an entire month's salary.
Whatever, she thought. A thousand pieces of gold can hardly buy a smile from a beautiful youth.
Before they even walked out of the shop, Lu Hexu, holding the box of cream nut candies, popped one into his mouth. His eyes narrowed slightly, clearly finding it quite tasty.
Su Zhenzhen also reached out and took one. As soon as it entered her mouth, she tasted a dense sweetness. The candy was firm and had a milky fragrance. When bitten open, there was a whole nut inside.
The two came out of the preserved fruit shop and went to a nearby pastry shop, buying a small box of red date cakes paired with a jug of seasonal plum wine.
With the food and drinks purchased, all that was left were some decorations and clothing.
For example, the red Double Happiness paper cutouts, wedding attire, wedding candles, and so on.
Although it was going to be simple, the necessary sense of ceremony couldn't be skipped. Life is made up of these little things.
The two walked toward the street lined with wedding shops.
"I don't have any friends in the palace. If we get married, should we invite your friends over to hang out?"
When Wang Ji was in charge, the practice of eunuchs and maids forming couples was strictly forbidden. If discovered, they would be sent to the Department of Punishment. Under such severe penalties, this culture in the imperial city could only survive in dark, twisted ways. It wasn't until Wei Heng replaced Wang Ji as the Chief Eunuch that lenient and benevolent policies were implemented. He set standards whereby ordinary couples were no longer punished.
"I don't have any friends," the youth said, his voice slightly muffled by the candy in his mouth.
"Then... should we tell your godfather?"
"No need." Lu Hexu reached for a cream nut candy, only to find that he had already emptied the box.
He licked his lips, seemingly wanting more.
"Okay."
Su Zhenzhen didn't ask for a reason. Since Mu Dan didn't want to tell Wei Heng, they wouldn't tell him.
"We still need to buy two wedding outfits, a pair of wedding candles, and a wedding quilt."
This was already the simplest of wedding customs.
The two entered the wedding street, bought the Double Happiness cutouts and red candles, and then went to a clothing shop. The shopkeeper brought out the most popular styles of wedding quilts and outfits for this year.
"How about this one?" Su Zhenzhen picked one out.
"The young lady has a good eye. This is the Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water pattern," the shopkeeper praised. "Look at this fabric, this embroidery."
Lu Hexu looked down at it. Two ducks. "Mm."
He nodded, clearly not having much interest in the clothing shop.
Su Zhenzhen picked out the wedding quilt, leaving the wedding outfits.
Since they were ready-to-wear, the shopkeeper looked at their heights and builds and selected roughly the right sizes for them.
With the wedding supplies purchased, it was getting late. Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan headed back to Qingliang Mountain together. When they passed by that preserved fruit shop, Su Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and spent another month's salary to buy Mu Dan another box of cream nut candies.
Carrying the wedding quilt on his back, the youth ate his cream nut candies while walking slowly along the edge of the road, seemingly trying to avoid the crowds.
Su Zhenzhen carried the two sets of wedding outfits and some food on her back.
The road was narrow and crowded. She was bumped by someone, causing her body to tilt to the side. The palm-sized jug of plum wine in her hand bumped into Mu Dan beside her.
[I bumped into him.]
[We are so close.]
[He smells so good. Baby, you are a cream nut candy.]
The youth looked down at her. The woman's cheeks were very pale; clearly, she looked even more like a creamy dessert than he did.
Lu Hexu unconsciously ground his teeth, wondering what she would taste like if he took a bite.
He raised his hand and hooked his finger around the swaying jug of plum wine, carrying it for her.
Su Zhenzhen stood behind him and saw the lantern light falling on his face.
How does it seem like... he grew taller?
"Did you hear? His Majesty is going to hold a retake of the imperial examination." A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar hugged the books in his arms and rushed toward the inn with a bundle on his back.
"I also heard that many people were caught in this exam cheating scandal. Over twenty examiners were sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, and the cheaters who were caught have been permanently banned from the exams and from entering officialdom."
"Yes, there were rumors before that our Emperor was mad. Now it seems he might just have been pretending to be mad. Devising such strategies behind the scenes, he truly is someone who amazes everyone with a single brilliant feat."
Su Zhenzhen listened to these scholars standing together and talking loudly, their faces full of anticipation for the retake of the imperial examination.
Extending her gaze further ahead, she saw a high platform. On the platform stood a person dressed as a scholar, speaking with wild gestures and great passion, but the crowd below was steadily walking away.
"Since there was a first time for cheating in the imperial exams, there will be a second time. Who can guarantee that this won't happen again when the exams are reopened..."
"Let's go, let's go. I'm busy reviewing my books."
"Yeah, I heard that the invigilator this time is the newly appointed Minister of Rites, who also comes from a poor background."
"Hey, everyone, listen to me, listen to me..."
What do you want to say?
Su Zhenzhen walked past the front of the platform.
The scholar-like person immediately said, "Young lady, go back and tell your family that since there was a first time for this cheating scandal, there will be a second. It is completely impossible to put an end to it..."
"Are you giving out free eggs?" Su Zhenzhen glanced over the platform. There was only a piece of paper on it, signed with a single name.
A joint petition?
Oh, in the original novel, there was a segment where failing candidates wrote a joint petition and sent it to the Brocade Guards, only to be beaten and thrown out.
This incident sparked heated discussions among poor scholars, making the tyrant's reputation even more notorious.
She remembered that this activity was even organized by people sent by Shen Yanci.
Looking at it now, there wasn't even anyone signing this petition.
The scholar-like person choked on his words. "Go, go, go."
If there are no free eggs, then forget it.
Su Zhenzhen left with Mu Dan.
The scholar squatted on the stage, watching the crowd gradually thin out. With a gloomy expression, he jumped off the stage and tore the joint petition to shreds. The next moment, a group of Brocade Guards emerged from nowhere, covered his mouth, and dragged him away.
It was nearly midnight when Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan returned to the Qingliang Palace.
Summer insects chirped, the vegetation was lush, and the air was soaked with the scent of summer.
"I'll go stir-fry a few dishes."
Every day, someone would deliver fresh vegetables and fruits to the small kitchen.
A young eunuch sat on a small stool in the kitchen and, under Su Zhenzhen's direction, washed two cucumbers and two eggplants.
Su Zhenzhen made scrambled eggs with cucumber and braised eggplant.
She wasn't very good at cooking meat, but for vegetables, she only needed to stir-fry them in oil and add a little salt.
"You can bring these out."
"Bring them where?"
Su Zhenzhen turned her head and saw the youth bending over the two dishes, sniffing them.
"To the stone table in the courtyard."
Perhaps uninterested in the two dishes, the youth straightened up, picked up one plate in each hand, turned, and carried them out.
So obedient.
Su Zhenzhen admired the well-behaved, beautiful youth's back for a moment before remembering she had also made candied sweet potatoes.
She carried the plate of candied sweet potatoes to the stone table in the courtyard. The youth was standing on his tiptoes, picking grapes from the corner of the yard.
These were wild grapes spreading from the corner. Because there was no trellis, they only climbed along the base of the wall and bore very few fruits.
Mu Dan stood there, pinched a grape with his fair fingers, and popped it into his mouth.
"Is it sour?" Su Zhenzhen leaned in.
She had been craving them for a long time but hadn't dared to eat any, always assuming they would be very sour.
"Not sour."
Then she would try one.
Su Zhenzhen picked one herself, rubbed it against her clothes, peeled off the skin, and took a bite.
Ugh... It was so sour she completely lost control of her facial expressions.
Su Zhenzhen looked at Mu Dan with teary eyes.
The youth blinked and popped another one into his mouth. "Not sour."
Su Zhenzhen was speechless.
"Come and eat."
She heard her own astringent voice.
A small jug of green plum wine had been placed there, already opened to let it breathe.
Su Zhenzhen could smell the refreshing aroma of plums.
The youth just noticed the candied sweet potatoes on the table. "What is this?"
A kid's dish.
"Candied sweet potatoes, want to try?"
The youth held the chopsticks with his slender fingers and picked up a piece of sweet potato. The thin syrup stretched out stickily like a spider web.
"Dip it in the cold water."
Su Zhenzhen pointed to a bowl of cold water she had prepared in advance.
The candied sweet potato was dipped into the cold water.
When taken out again, it would be very crispy to bite into.
Su Zhenzhen sat nearby, waiting for Mu Dan to finish the plate of candied sweet potatoes before returning to the rooms with him to change clothes.
The two still lived in separate rooms.
Su Zhenzhen washed up a bit, then sat before the vanity and applied some light rouge. Finally, looking at the brightly colored lip rouge, she thought about it and applied just a little.
Her current face belonged to the innocent beauty type; overly heavy makeup wouldn't suit her.
The wedding dress was hanging on the wooden rack. Su Zhenzhen stood up and ran her hands over the fabric. It wasn't high-quality material, and the tailoring wasn't perfect, but the color was dyed just right, like a blooming red peony.
She took it down and carefully put it on.
The vibrant true red faintly reflected in the mirror, which had a Double Happiness character pasted on it.
Su Zhenzhen pressed a hand to her chest, feeling inexplicably nervous.
After all, it was her first time getting married; being nervous was a given.
She comforted herself, then heard movements outside and reached out to push open the door.
The opposite door was already open. Mu Dan stood there wearing his wedding attire. The youth had fair skin, and the red wedding clothes made his complexion look even more coldly pale. The long night cast his shadow; his eyelashes were pitch-black, and his hair was like ink. He turned to look at her, hands clasped behind his back, looking exceedingly beautiful.
Because of the slight height difference, Su Zhenzhen actually felt she could taste a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Lu Hexu's dark pupils reflected the woman wearing the wedding dress.
The bloody, sticky red unexpectedly became gentle and beautiful on her.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head up slightly and walked up to the youth.
She thought for a moment and asked, "Shall we bow to heaven and earth?"
"If you want to."
"Then let's bow."
Who knew if she would ever find such a beautiful youth to bow to heaven and earth with again in this lifetime.
Since there was no master of ceremonies, and seeing Mu Dan's expression she knew he was unfamiliar with the wedding process, Su Zhenzhen recalled scenes from TV dramas and nervously opened her mouth with a trembling voice, "First bow to heaven and earth."
She stood beside the youth and they bowed to the sky.
"Second bow to the parents."
Lu Hexu turned around, and the two faced the empty chairs.
Su Zhenzhen didn't bow down.
The youth beside her didn't bow down either.
"Well, there's also the husband and wife bowing to each other."
After a silence, the two said nothing and skipped the second step, going straight to the mutual bow between husband and wife.
The moonlight was hazy. They stood together, the delicate moonlight shining on their youthful faces.
"Husband and wife, bow to each other."
After speaking, Su Zhenzhen crossed her hands in front of her abdomen and bowed slightly.
Lu Hexu looked down at her and also slowly bent his waist.
They actually looked quite proper.
"Alright, let's eat. It's getting late."
Su Zhenzhen stepped out the door first. She sat by the stone table and poured herself a cup of plum wine.
"Can you drink alcohol?"
"I don't like drinking."
Su Zhenzhen didn't say anything and put the plum wine back.
Actually, she had wanted to drink the cross-cupped nuptial wine.
Lu Hexu's gaze swept over her lowered eyes. "I can drink a little."
Mild liquor was just like plain water to him.
"Then I'll pour you just a little bit." The woman's eyes instantly lit up with joy.
It was Lu Hexu's first time seeing such a hidden spy.
All her emotions were written on her face.
"This will serve as our nuptial wine."
"Nuptial wine?"
"Nuptial wine means becoming one, sharing both joys and hardships."
The youth pinched the wine cup in his hand, as if pondering those words.
Lu Hexu sat on the stone stool, resting his chin on one hand. He leaned back slightly, his wedding clothes a bit too large, loosely outlining his slender figure. The youth looked as picturesque as a painting, his eyes falling on her face.
He was scrutinizing her.
Finally, he spoke slowly, "Then, will you betray me?"
Ah?
"I won't." Su Zhenzhen shook her head.
She wouldn't cheat on him.
The youth's gaze fell lightly upon her without a word.
Su Zhenzhen thought for a moment and held out her pinky finger. "Whoever betrays the other has to swallow ten thousand needles. Pinky promise."
Lu Hexu's gaze landed on that small finger. It was very slender, the skin not a cold white, but more like warm jade. The nail was a pretty pink, and the finger joint was slightly bent, presented right before his eyes.
"What is a pinky promise?"
"It's just... a pinky promise. Hold out your little finger."
Lu Hexu extended his pinky finger.
Su Zhenzhen hooked her pinky around his.
"A pinky promise for a hundred years, no changing allowed."
The youth picked up her words, "Whoever changes has to swallow ten thousand needles."
[Learns so fast, what a good boy.]
After they each had a cup of plum wine, Su Zhenzhen was no longer as nervous as before.
"I don't think I've asked you yet, how old are you?"
The little eunuch seemed tired, looking rather listless. "Nineteen."
Three years younger than her, a sweet younger brother.
Other people had modern rental apartment romances, while they had an imperial city eunuch-maid pairing romance.
"I will treat you well from now on," Su Zhenzhen said with sincere earnestness. "Let's live a good life together as partners."
After saying that, she looked at the young man's beautiful, smooth face before her, inexplicably feeling as if she had just abducted a wealthy young lady.
Because Su Zhenzhen had too many things in her room, the wedding quilt and wedding candles were set up in Mu Dan's room.
He probably didn't come back to stay very often. Everything inside was left exactly as it was, and a layer of dust had gathered on the table and chairs.
The wedding quilt was spread over the bed, and the bright red dragon-patterned wedding candles were placed on the desk by the window.
Su Zhenzhen had bought many pre-cut Double Happiness paper characters. Since she didn't know how to cut them herself, she had bought around a few dozen. Figuring she wouldn't be getting married a second time anytime soon, she pasted all of them up.
Everywhere you looked, the bed, table, chairs, cabinets, doors, windows, and even the bed curtains were covered in them.
On the table sat the red dates and longans she had bought, with a Double Happiness character placed on top of them as well.
It actually looked quite the part.
The wedding candles burned brightly. Having drunk some plum wine, Su Zhenzhen felt the alcohol going to her head slightly.
They sat together on the wedding bed.
With moist eyes, the woman looked at the young man sitting beside her. She swallowed hard. "Shall we sleep together?"
Lu Hexu never shared a bed with anyone.
"I never sleep in the same bed with others."
"I'll just hold you. I won't do anything."
The young man's eyelids drooped, watching the woman's cautious probing before she reached out her arms and gently embraced him.
Liquid courage emboldened the coward. The young man's body was soft yet firm, like a piece of smooth jade.
He was really hot to the touch.
No wonder he was so afraid of the heat; his body was burning up.
The sound of even breathing came from within Lu Hexu's embrace.
An hour had already passed since midnight, and in another hour, the sky would start to brighten.
Su Zhenzhen woke up from her dreams. She was hogging the bed alone, and the room was already empty.
The wedding candles had burned out. The summer sun shone in from outside. It was clearly such warm and intense sunlight, yet to her, it felt somewhat desolate.
They just got married yesterday, and he went on a business trip today?
Su Zhenzhen sat on the edge of the bed for a while, reached out to fold up the wedding quilt, and then changed out of her wedding dress. She took a glance around the room. It was still just her; it felt like she had gone through a fake marriage.
Someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Su Zhenzhen had just finished washing up, so she walked over to open the door and saw a squad of Imperial Guards.
The Imperial Guards had been very active lately, and she had no idea what case they were working on.
"Let me see your arms."
Huh?
Although Su Zhenzhen was a modern person and didn't care much for strict boundaries between men and women, she even liked wearing camisoles out in the summer, according to ancient customs, this didn't seem quite proper, did it?
After the Imperial Guard spoke, an unfamiliar young eunuch stepped out from behind him.
So it was a eunuch who would be looking.
Su Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves, revealing a pair of fair, tender arms.
The young eunuch reached out to touch them, as if searching for something. After finding no signs of a disguise, he nodded at her and then walked back to the squad of Imperial Guards, who had turned their backs.
Su Zhenzhen saw the eunuch gently shake his head.
The Imperial Guard frowned, drew an X in the notebook he was holding, and continued moving forward.
Su Zhenzhen guessed that the Imperial Guards were looking for Liu Tingyue.
She turned around to close the door. After entering the room, she noticed that her small medicine cabinet was open.
Was she robbed?
Su Zhenzhen walked over and saw that a bottle of the wound medicine from last time was missing, but a gold leaf had been left in its place.
Su Zhenzhen was speechless. Well, please come again.
But her medicine wasn't some miraculous panacea. Given the severity of Liu Tingyue's injuries, she wouldn't heal for at least a week or two. How could she possibly evade the Imperial Guards' inspection?
Because Zhou Mo's capture never happened in the original novel, Su Zhenzhen was unsure how this unexpected event would unfold. It wasn't until she went out to dig for herbs in the afternoon, was spotted by the same older maid from last time, and was dragged off to serve dishes again that she finally saw Liu Tingyue.
She was wearing a thin summer blouse, and one could see bandages wrapped around her arm. Rumor had it that she had gotten up to drink water last night, accidentally knocked over the kettle, and spilled boiling water all over her arm.
How ruthless.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously covered her own arm.
Although they were both undercover agents, she truly couldn't be as ruthless to herself as Liu Tingyue was.
Su Zhenzhen was kept busy until nighttime. Only then was she finally free to head back, still carrying the scent of the banquet on her clothes.
She pushed open the gate to the small courtyard. Her eyes were met with green bamboo, the bright moon, and the young man sitting under the eaves.
The lonely, suffocating feeling that had filled Su Zhenzhen's heart when she woke up during the day to an empty bridal chamber instantly vanished.
Wearing his eunuch uniform, Lu Hexu tilted his head to look at Su Zhenzhen, who had just returned.
No lamps were lit in the courtyard, save for the single glazed lantern the young man had placed beside him under the eaves.
Su Zhenzhen walked toward that single point of light, her heart feeling inexplicably joyful. "I'm back. Have you been waiting for me for a long time?"
"No."
"Have you eaten yet then?"
"No."
An untouched food box sat on the table inside the room.
Su Zhenzhen opened it: a plate of braised beef, a plate of stir-fried loofah, a bowl of steamed pork, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of black sesame milk skin dessert. This standard of food could rival that of a high-ranking palace maid.
Fortunately, the weather was hot, so eating cold dishes was fine, saving her the trouble of cooking herself.
Su Zhenzhen noticed that Mu Dan didn't like eating proper meals; he just loved sweet, rich desserts. He had a textbook sweet tooth.
Naturally, that bowl of black sesame milk skin went to him.
Su Zhenzhen watched as he slowly emerged from the small kitchen hugging a honey jar, pouring honey over his dessert.
"Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"
After Su Zhenzhen finished eating, the two of them lay under the eaves talking.
"Nothing."
The young man, who hated the heat, lay there with his head tilted, half of his body hiding behind a banana leaf.
"Then do you want to go to the Medicine King Temple with me?"
Su Zhenzhen remembered the Medicine King Temple being mentioned in the original novel. It enshrined the Medicine King, Sun Simiao, and many folk remedies and prescriptions were carved into the stone steles inside the hall.
Su Zhenzhen was very interested in the prescriptions on them.
"Mm," the young man replied, his eyes half-closed. "I won't go during the day."
"Then we'll go at night." After a pause, Su Zhenzhen added, "If there's anything you ever want to do, you can also call me to accompany you."
The young man's eyelashes fluttered, and his gaze fell on Su Zhenzhen's face. He stared at her for a long time without answering.
He didn't need that.
Having agreed on a time, Su Zhenzhen spent the whole next day packing her things.
She gathered a lot of paper and whittled some charcoal sticks to use as pencils, as she really couldn't get used to those writing brushes.
After sunset, the light gradually dimmed, and the young man appeared at the gate of the small courtyard carrying that familiar glazed lantern.
Actually, Su Zhenzhen sometimes wondered if this little eunuch was a figment of her imagination.
Driven mad by this terrifying imperial palace, perhaps she had developed a mental illness and conjured up a beautiful young male playmate for herself.
But during her last trip to the Imperial Prison, she had run into Wei Heng and was led out of that living hell by the hand by Mu Dan.
She thought, so she wasn't mentally ill after all.
There really was such a person.
How wonderful.
The Medicine King Temple was located within the Qingliang Palace, but it was situated in a secluded area, requiring a walk up a mountain path.
There were still monks residing in the temple. Because it was inside the royal palace grounds, no commoners came to offer incense; it relied entirely on state funding to maintain its daily operations.
The Medicine King Temple was off-limits to unauthorized personnel. Mu Dan, who was standing beside Su Zhenzhen, flashed the waist token in his hand, and the monk stepped aside to lead them inside.
The temple was not small, boasting over a dozen structures including an archway, a horse hall, and a bell and drum tower. Su Zhenzhen's main destination was the stone stele pavilion to the east of the main hall. Inside, many steles were enshrined, engraved with numerous medical prescriptions.
Since night had already fallen, it was dark everywhere. As Su Zhenzhen walked, she kept kicking the pebbles and uneven stones along the path.
She stumbled a few times and bumped into Mu Dan, who was walking in front of her.
The young man glanced back at her slightly. Su Zhenzhen met his gaze, then quietly reached out and slipped her hand into his free one.
Lu Hexu did not refuse, and the two continued walking forward hand in hand.
Upon arriving at the stele pavilion, the surroundings were dim. The monk brought her a lantern to hold. Carrying the lantern, Su Zhenzhen stood on her tiptoes, looking up and down the steles and tracing them with her hands, studying them with extreme earnestness.
Even though this was just a book, it seemed that this world had filled in all the intricate details.
The prescriptions carved here were simply too exquisite.
Su Zhenzhen was completely mesmerized. She held the lantern and examined them closely. By the time she finished reading one stele, the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn had already passed.
The young man sat by the edge of the pavilion, the glazed lantern placed by his side, exceedingly quiet.
Su Zhenzhen leaned over sheepishly. Could you hold the lantern for me?
She stood behind him, and the young man tilted his head back to look at her.
So cute.
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Su Zhenzhen reached out and cupped his face from behind.
The glazed lantern rested beside Mu Dan. Under the hazy glow, Su Zhenzhen's gaze swept across his face and finally landed on that tiny mole on his throat.
The mole on his neck, I see it again.
Gulping, she reached out her fingertip and gently rubbed it.
It is a mole. I thought it was a speck of dirt.
Ahhhhh, a mole right on his Adam's apple!
I finally got to touch it!
