[Red Looks Really Good]
The autumn wind blew the curtain open a crack, and Su Zhenzhen instinctively hid back into the bathtub.
"Close the door."
Wait, no.
"Close the curtain."
In ancient times, there was no such advanced thing as a zipper. They would hang a wooden stick at the bottom of the tent curtain to secure it, and then make hidden clasps around the curtain, both inside and out.
The young man turned around to close the curtain.
Su Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief and began to take off her clothes.
She took off her soaking wet clothes and threw them out of the tub, where they hit the ground with a soft thud, splashing tiny droplets of water.
Su Zhenzhen picked up the Chinese honeylocust soap and began to wash herself.
Having been sick for several days, she could at most wipe her hands and face while in bed. Being able to take a comfortable hot bath now felt like an absolute luxury.
Actually, for a low-ranking palace maid like her, even in the imperial palace, the chances to bathe so freely were very rare.
The cold sweat on her body was completely washed away by the hot water. Su Zhenzhen gathered her hair with both hands, submerged it, and scrubbed. When she was almost done and turned to grab a towel, she saw a figure leaning casually against the door curtain.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Her arm, reaching out for the towel, froze in mid-air.
She slowly twitched her fingertips, and the water droplets gathered there fell, dripping onto the floor.
She pulled her arm back, retreating her entire body back into the bathtub.
"Why are you... inside?"
She squatted in the tub, revealing only half of her face. Her dark eyes were moistened by the hot water, and her skin showed a beautiful flush. She had wrung out her thick hair and casually tied it up on top of her head into a half-wet bun.
"You told me to keep watch."
Su Zhenzhen: ...She meant for him to keep watch outside! Not inside!
"Are you done washing?"
"...Yes."
Lu Hexu shifted his legs, which had grown slightly numb from standing, and walked toward Su Zhenzhen.
There was only one gauze lantern in the tent, casting a hazy, dim light. The young man's large shadow loomed over her, completely enveloping Su Zhenzhen and the tub.
She looked up at him.
The hot water in the tub was no longer that hot. The lukewarm water soaked her body, hazy and offering nowhere to hide.
Su Zhenzhen felt even her toes curling tightly.
The young man stood by the tub, swept his gaze around, and then reached out to grab a small bucket of hot water nearby, pouring it into the tub.
This bucket of hot water wasn't too scalding, but it was enough to raise the water temperature in the tub to a comfortably warm level.
"I'm done washing," Su Zhenzhen wanted to say, implying there was no need to waste more water, but then she felt a hand grasp the back of her neck.
"Mhm." The young man's voice was a bit hoarse. He responded softly, his fingertips gently rubbing against the soft, fragrant, and pale skin of Su Zhenzhen's nape, which had been soaked in the water.
The woman carried a faint scent of honeylocust soap. This fragrance mixed with the herbal scent in the tent, smelling very pleasant.
"You smell so good."
The young man pressed against her ear, his voice striking her eardrums. Su Zhenzhen felt a slight pain in her earlobe, as if someone had gently bitten it.
Because she wasn't wearing clothes, Su Zhenzhen instinctively dodged to the side.
The hand holding the back of her neck tightened slightly.
Trembling, Su Zhenzhen had nowhere to hide.
She felt like she had heard his words somewhere before, but couldn't remember where.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head slightly, her lips brushing against the young man's neck. She smelled a faint, sweet, and metallic scent on him, like rust mixed with honey—a bizarre, sticky, sweet yet cold smell.
The tent was very small and poorly ventilated. The steam rising from the bathtub made Su Zhenzhen feel dizzy and disoriented.
Of course, this also had to do with the fact that her body hadn't fully recovered, yet she insisted on taking a bath.
But she simply couldn't stand her own smelly self anymore.
There was a lot of water in the tub. The young man bent over, standing by the tub to kiss her. Su Zhenzhen's legs went weak, and she couldn't maintain her squatting position. As her body slipped downward, he wrapped one arm tightly around her waist and scooped her up from the tub.
Su Zhenzhen was pulled to her feet, water cascading down her body, splashing halfway out of the tub.
She stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around the young man's neck, seemingly wanting to bury herself in his neck to escape her embarrassment.
He let her hold him, then tilted his head and continued to kiss her.
Su Zhenzhen tried hard to tilt her head back to breathe, but she could only inhale the thin air and the scent of the young man.
It was so stuffy; she was going to faint.
The woman's body once again failed to support itself and began to slide down. The young man's arm around her waist tightened. Wet water stains clung to both of them, soaking his clothes.
Halfway through the kiss, Lu Hexu realized she had already fainted.
He looked at the woman passed out in his arms, paused for a moment, kissed her a few more times, and then leaned down slightly to lift her out of the bathtub.
Su Zhenzhen wasn't wearing any clothes. Holding her with one arm, he grabbed a towel nearby with his other hand, wrapped her in it, and placed her on the bed.
Her bun had come undone, and her long, wet hair clung to her body.
Lu Hexu sat beside her, methodically gathering her long hair together. Then, imitating what she used to do, he wrung her hair dry for her.
Her jet-black hair was piled by the pillow, revealing Su Zhenzhen's slender, pale neck, tinged with a rosy-white hue.
Lu Hexu's gaze moved downward slowly.
Resting his cheek on one hand, he watched quietly.
Nearby, Sushan woke up. It didn't like water. Seeing so much water splashed from the tub onto the floor, it instinctively let out a meow. Seeing that no one paid attention to it, it had no choice but to tiptoe and hop over.
Sushan squatted by the bed. Seeing Su Zhenzhen lying there, it pushed off with its hind legs, ready to jump up, but someone suddenly grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and tossed it three meters away.
Sushan did a flip in mid-air and landed perfectly.
It squatted there, licked its paws, and didn't come any closer.
Lu Hexu shifted his gaze back to Su Zhenzhen.
The steam from the tub slowly dissipated. She probably felt cold; the flush on her skin faded, turning into a solid white.
Very beautiful.
Like white jade.
Lu Hexu touched her; her skin was slightly cool to the touch. He stood up and used a cloth to wipe the water off her body.
From head to toe.
There was only one place he couldn't wipe clean.
So wet.
Lu Hexu lifted his fingertips.
It didn't feel like water.
It was a sticky sensation.
-
Su Zhenzhen woke up from her sleep and found herself lying in bed, fully dressed. Her body felt completely dry and comfortable; someone must have wiped her down.
She had actually fainted.
Embarrassed, Su Zhenzhen pulled the blanket over her head.
On one hand, it was indeed because the tub was too hot, and having just recovered from an illness, her weak body couldn't handle it. On the other hand, it definitely had something to do with Mu Dan.
He had kissed her too deeply; she couldn't catch her breath at all.
Su Zhenzhen felt utterly ashamed. Fortunately, Mu Dan was not in the tent.
After so many cloudy days, the sun finally came out today. Seeing the sunlight filtering in from outside the tent, Su Zhenzhen guessed that Mu Dan's heliophobia hadn't been cured yet, so he must have hidden in another tent. Plus, he had stayed up all night to take care of her, so he must be exhausted.
Su Zhenzhen threw off the blanket and sat up, then suddenly realized something was wrong.
She reached back and touched her messy hair. Although it was a bit disheveled from sleeping, she could still feel the basic shape of it.
Su Zhenzhen jumped up and walked to the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror.
Twintails?
Bad thing.
-
The weather was fine and sunny. The Brocade Guards, who had been hunting down the spreaders of the Heavenly Punishment rumors, halted their operations. The gloom that had enveloped everyone's hearts was slowly dispelled by the warm sun.
Inside the enclosed imperial tent, a floor-standing glazed lamp stood in the corner, illuminating the dim space.
Lu Hexu sat behind the imperial desk, the memorials from the past few days laid out before him.
He slowly turned a page, but his gaze involuntarily fell on his fingertips, and his mind began to wander.
Lu Hexu subconsciously rubbed his fingertips together, then continued to read the memorials.
A moment later, Wei Heng hurried in. Seeing Lu Hexu sitting behind the imperial desk, he quickly bowed and paid his respects, Your Majesty.
Lu Hexu did not even lift his head. Shadow One told you.
Yes. Wei Heng nodded, his face serious. Does Your Majesty mean that people from the Patrol Camp have infiltrated the Brocade Guards?
This was a major matter. Any smart person could tell at a glance what Zhao Lingyun was planning to do.
He wanted to commit treason and regicide.
This servant will immediately request the Imperial Guards to be transferred over.
No rush. Lu Hexu took a sip of cold tea. Finding the taste a bit bland, he added a spoonful of honey. After a thought, he added another spoonful, then picked up the spoon next to it and stirred.
The pale yellow honey melted into the cold tea. Lu Hexu took a sip before slowly saying, Wei Heng, it is not good to alert the snake by beating the grass.
Wei Heng understood Lu Hexu's meaning.
Yes, this servant understands.
-
The opening of a day for a low-energy introvert.
Hasn't gotten up yet.
If there are blessings, I will enjoy them. If not, I will force myself to enjoy them anyway.
Su Zhenzhen had been lying in bed eating and drinking for several days, eating every day like a pig waiting to be slaughtered. Although her appetite had slightly decreased when she was sick, she could overcome it.
She could feel that her face and body had gained some flesh.
She still needed to exercise.
Su Zhenzhen held a waistband and played with Sushan.
Sushan stood up on its hind legs to paw at the dangling waistband. It caught it several times, only for Su Zhenzhen to snatch it back.
Su Zhenzhen spun around with the waistband. Sushan followed her for a few circles until it couldn't spin anymore, lay on the ground to catch its breath, and then suddenly darted to the other side to play with the pearl earring Su Zhenzhen had dropped on the floor.
It was a pearl earring, and Sushan seemed very interested in the pearl on it.
It pawed at it playfully.
Su Zhenzhen let it play, but in the blink of an eye, she found that Sushan had run under the wardrobe and was pawing at something there.
There was an extremely thin and narrow gap under the wardrobe, too small even for a cat's paw to fit in.
Su Zhenzhen bent down to look at first, couldn't see clearly, then squatted on the ground to look, and finally lay flat on the floor to look.
Sure enough, her pearl earring had been batted inside.
This wardrobe was made of solid wood, carved with simple flowers, and the wood looked very sturdy.
Su Zhenzhen gave it a try, but couldn't move it.
Leave it and wait for your dad to come.
Su Zhenzhen gave up easily. There was no need to force herself to do something she couldn't manage.
Now that the exercise was done, it was time to go back to sleep.
The autumn weather was cool, and night fell early.
Just as the sky was getting dark, Su Zhenzhen was sitting in the tent continuing to tease Sushan when she saw the young man walking over from a distance, carrying that glazed lamp.
As the boy drew closer, Su Zhenzhen's gaze involuntarily fell on his lips.
Mu Dan's lip color was very beautiful, a natural crimson. After being kissed, the color would deepen, like a crushed cherry.
Su Zhenzhen remembered how she had passed out from being kissed last night, quickly blushed, and turned around. My earring was batted under there by Sushan, and I can't move this wardrobe.
Sometimes avoidance is the best way to prevent awkwardness.
Lu Hexu stood in front of the wardrobe, reached out to test its weight, and then said to Su Zhenzhen, So weak.
Su Zhenzhen: ...When will parents finally accept their children's mediocrity?
Isn't it just that you're too strong!
Lu Hexu hoisted the wardrobe onto his shoulder with one hand and moved it to the side, not even setting down the glazed lamp in his other hand.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Um... there's some under the bed too...
Lu Hexu walked over and lifted the bed with one hand.
Although she had long known the boy was strong, this was truly too outrageous. It was simply beyond the realm of normal humans.
Can you do it with four fingers? Su Zhenzhen developed a bit of curiosity.
Lu Hexu frowned and let go with one finger.
Three fingers?
Two fingers?
One finger!
The boy tilted his head and looked at Su Zhenzhen, whose eyes were sparkling, as if to say, what is the point of this?
It really didn't have much point.
In one breath, Su Zhenzhen found all the earrings, pearl hairpins, and toys that Sushan had scattered everywhere, and tidied up the tent while she was at it.
Lu Hexu opened the wardrobe that had been organized yesterday.
A pile of clothes tumbled out, and Sushan happily ran over and burrowed into them.
Su Zhenzhen looked slightly embarrassed and quickly stuffed both the cat and the clothes back in.
Um, have you had dinner yet?
No.
Coincidentally, neither had she.
I remember there's a persimmon grove over there. I wonder if they're ripe yet.
The first day she arrived here, Su Zhenzhen had already set her sights on that persimmon grove.
Once picked, persimmons can be eaten directly, or made into roasted persimmons, frosted dried persimmons, or persimmon jam.
Mhm.
Lu Hexu was already waiting for her at the tent entrance, holding the glazed lamp.
-
Because the Emperor was traveling, the surrounding area had been strictly forbidden for outsiders to enter.
This persimmon grove was situated right at the boundary of the Brocade Guards' patrol routes.
Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan carried their tokens and went all the way unimpeded.
Why aren't we there yet?
Su Zhenzhen felt like she had been walking for a very long time. She reached out and held Mu Dan's hand.
[His fingers are so long.]
When she stood in front of the tent and looked at the persimmon grove, it clearly felt very close. Why did it take so long to walk there now?
Lu Hexu glanced at her.
We're here.
The boy raised the glazed lamp in his hand. Su Zhenzhen looked up and sure enough, saw the persimmon grove ahead.
The moonlight was thin, faintly sweeping across the persimmon skins. Su Zhenzhen approached and found that on a few of the trees, a small number of the highest persimmons had been half-eaten by birds, revealing the tender, juicy flesh inside.
The night was pitch black, so Su Zhenzhen asked Mu Dan to lift the glazed lamp in his hand.
The lamplight shone down, pointing right at the heavily laden persimmon tree in front of them.
Probably because of its sun-facing angle, it had grown the best.
Su Zhenzhen stood on her tiptoes to pick a persimmon but found she was a bit too short. Coincidentally, there was a rock nearby, so she stepped onto it.
Su Zhenzhen picked two and handed one to Mu Dan.
Did we pass by a spring when we were coming over just now?
Su Zhenzhen followed Mu Dan back a short distance, and indeed, there was a pool of clear spring water.
The clear spring flowed down from the cliff face and fell into this pool.
Lu Hexu casually placed the glazed lamp on a rock. The lamplight fell on the surface of the spring, illuminating the shimmering water.
Su Zhenzhen washed the persimmons with the spring water, then couldn't wait to take a bite.
Ugh.
It was horribly sour and astringent. They needed some artificial sweetener.
This persimmon was inedible; it tasted too awful.
Holding the persimmon she had bitten into, Su Zhenzhen turned her head to look at Mu Dan.
The boy was even faster than her. Su Zhenzhen even doubted whether he had washed his; could he have sneaked a bite on the way over when she wasn't paying attention?
Meeting Su Zhenzhen's gaze, the young man, who had long since thrown the persimmon who knows where, nodded and said, "It tastes terrible."
Su Zhenzhen thought to herself that regaining one's sense of taste also had its downsides.
With the soft babbling of the clear spring in the background, Su Zhenzhen looked down at the ground. She had just felt like she stepped on something.
She bent down to pick it up and examined it against the light of the glazed lamp.
It looks like... a chestnut?
Su Zhenzhen naturally glanced to the side, and sure enough, she saw several wild chestnut trees.
The wilderness was truly wonderful, especially in autumn, a season of abundant harvest. The ground was already covered with mature brown chestnuts.
Compared to the unripe, sour, and astringent persimmons, these chestnuts were obviously edible.
"This is a chestnut. Let's go back and roast them to eat." Su Zhenzhen showed the chestnut she had picked up to the young man, then said enthusiastically, "You go shake the chestnut trees, and I'll pick them up."
Lu Hexu stood up, walked over to the chestnut tree, and reached out to give it a shake.
The young man possessed great strength. The thick, sturdy branches of the chestnut tree were like thin bamboo poles in his hands. Large chestnuts, still wrapped in their spiky green husks, tumbled down.
"That's enough, that's enough."
Su Zhenzhen waved her hand to stop him from raining down more chestnuts, then quickly squatted on the ground to gather them.
To pick persimmons, she had brought a small basket, which Mu Dan had been carrying along the way. They didn't get to eat the persimmons, but now the basket was filled with chestnuts instead.
Su Zhenzhen tossed the chestnuts into the basket. In no time, she and Mu Dan had gathered a full basket.
The two returned fully loaded.
"When will the persimmons be ready to eat?"
Carrying the chestnuts in his hand, the young man tilted his head to ask Su Zhenzhen beside him.
Su Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "In about half a month."
Returning to their small tent, the two first peeled off the spiky green outer husks of the chestnuts. Then, they brought over clear spring water to wash them clean. Finally, they scooped out the recently extinguished plant ash from the stove and placed it into a basin.
Su Zhenzhen had Mu Dan score a cross on each chestnut with a knife.
"This way, the chestnuts won't burst open when we roast them."
Su Zhenzhen placed the chestnuts that Mu Dan had scored into the plant ash to roast.
"Let's make another pot of roasted chestnuts."
Su Zhenzhen directed Mu Dan to fetch some coarse sand, which they would use later to stir-fry the chestnuts.
The coarse sand was quickly brought back, and it was already washed clean.
Su Zhenzhen poured the coarse sand into the pot. Once the small stove had heated the sand thoroughly, she tossed the chestnuts in and then poured honey water along the edge of the pot.
"Alright, stir-fry them."
Su Zhenzhen handed this arduous task over to Mu Dan.
The young man sat on a small stool, holding a spatula in one hand and teasing the cat with the other.
The aroma of chestnuts filled the tent. The sand roasted the chestnut shells until they were golden brown and cracked open. The honey, mixed with the coarse sand, rubbed a sugar coating onto the surface of the chestnuts, and the sweet flavor of the honey seeped inside through the scored openings.
"That should be about right." Su Zhenzhen took a look, extinguished the small stove, and conveniently dug out the chestnuts they had buried in the plant ash earlier.
Compared to the dusty, ash-roasted chestnuts, the young man was clearly more interested in the ones coated in honey.
The flavor of the honey had permeated the chestnuts. Each plump chestnut was roasted to a soft, glutinous, and fragrant perfection, carrying the rich sweetness of honey upon the first bite.
So soft, so sweet and fragrant.
Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan sat together, each on a small stool, gathered around the pot peeling and eating chestnuts.
Their fingertips turned pitch black from the peeling.
Once the honey-flavored chestnuts in the pot were gone, Lu Hexu brought over a bowl of honey, tossed the plain chestnuts in, and ate them coated in the sweet syrup.
What a true foodie.
Su Zhenzhen turned her head and noticed that the young man had some plant ash stuck to the corner of his lips.
She raised her hand and wiped the corner of his mouth for him. "You little glutton."
"Meow..." Sushan, who was sleeping next to the stove, let out a cry.
Lu Hexu raised his hand to wipe the corner of his own mouth.
It just got darker.
Su Zhenzhen smiled so widely that her eyes curved into crescents. But the next moment, the young man leaned over, his cheek brushing against hers, and pressed his lips to hers. No matter how she tried to dodge, she couldn't escape.
-
With only a few days left until the Autumn Festival, everyone was working in full swing. Even someone like Su Zhenzhen, who got in through connections, was assigned tasks.
Actually, given her status as the counterpart to a second-generation eunuch, she originally wouldn't have been scheduled to work. However, the recent Divine Punishment incident had killed too many people, leaving them severely short-handed.
The task Su Zhenzhen was assigned was to polish the sacrificial vessels in the Imperial Temple.
The renovation of the Imperial Temple's main hall was almost complete. The sacrificial vessels were stored in the storehouse and would only be brought out in full on the day of the Autumn Festival.
The job for Su Zhenzhen and a few other maids and eunuchs was to scrub and polish the vessels inside the storehouse.
This was a warehouse spanning five bays in width and one bay in depth, housing hundreds of sacrificial vessels.
They ranged from small soup spoons and bowls to massive ritual cauldrons, basins, and chime bells.
Su Zhenzhen was assigned to polish the wine vessels.
She started polishing the moment she went in during the morning and continued until she got off work at night.
The work itself wasn't physically exhausting, but it was rather tedious and mentally taxing.
After all, these items were extremely valuable. If they were damaged or lost, heads would roll.
The managers of the storehouse had to inventory the sacrificial vessels every day to prevent any loss or omission.
Su Zhenzhen stood together with the other maids and eunuchs, quietly waiting for the supervisor who would come to register the vessels today.
It was autumn, and the sky grew dark early.
Su Zhenzhen didn't like the nights of late autumn; looking at them always made her feel a sense of desolation in her heart.
The doors to the storehouse were pushed open by the Imperial Guards. With the sky already dark, the young man walked in carrying a glazed lamp.
Su Zhenzhen was stunned.
Lu Hexu's gaze swept briefly across Su Zhenzhen's face. Then, he unhurriedly placed the glazed lamp on the table, took the registration ledger from the guard beside him, and began to inventory the vessels in the storehouse one by one.
The young man had changed into a red round-collar robe that suited his status. A jade belt was tied around his waist, and he wore a finely crafted black gauze hat. The brim of the hat rested against his forehead, accentuating his delicate and handsome features.
This was the first time Su Zhenzhen had seen Mu Dan at work.
While she was still in a daze, the young man had already walked up to her.
Lu Hexu glanced at the sacrificial vessels arranged behind Su Zhenzhen and said calmly, "The vessels are complete."
That meant she had passed inspection.
Seeing the young man's serious demeanor, Su Zhenzhen felt like a familiar friend was pretending to be her boss.
Well, he actually was her boss.
Coming to work and becoming the romantic partner of her boss?
"Verification complete. There are no issues."
With those words, the eunuchs and maids in the storehouse subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. They all lowered their heads and left to get off work.
Su Zhenzhen walked at the very end. After taking three steps, she turned back to glance at Mu Dan.
Holding the keys, Lu Hexu locked the doors to the storehouse under the supervision of the Imperial Guards after everyone had left.
Maids and eunuchs were not allowed to linger within the Imperial Temple.
Su Zhenzhen walked all the way out of the Imperial Temple. She stood at the entrance and waited for a while before seeing Mu Dan slowly walking over from behind her.
Su Zhenzhen had always felt that the young man suited brighter colors.
For example, red, pink, or bright yellow.
Of course, it wasn't that the clothes he wore before didn't look good, but they just didn't look as stunning as these highly saturated colors.
Su Zhenzhen still remembered how he looked wearing a red wedding robe.
Although it was beautiful, it was a great pity; the material and style of that wedding dress were truly a terrible match.
"Why haven't you worn this outfit before?"
The imperial temple was incredibly empty, with only the patrolling Imperial Guards left inside.
"It's inconvenient on an ordinary day."
Lu Hexu was taking this opportunity to investigate exactly how many men from the Patrol Battalion had infiltrated the Imperial Guards.
So far, it seemed the number was not too large.
Lu Hexu walked beside Su Zhenzhen, pondering this matter, when his gaze suddenly flicked in her direction.
This year's autumn uniform for the palace maids was light green, embroidered with floral branches and butterflies. The top jacket and bottom skirt hugged her curves just right, giving off a fresh and elegant vibe.
Su Zhenzhen was already a beauty of the subtle and understated kind. With no extra ornaments in her hair bun save for a single pearl hairpin, wearing this autumn uniform made her look even more pure and lovely. With her bright eyes and gentle smile, completely devoid of any wicked thoughts, she stood there as the perfect picture of a proper and refined lady.
[Red looks so beautiful.]
[Let me touch it.]
[Let me touch it.]
[Let me touch it.]
Chapter Two.
Cat: The collector of Zhenzhen's secretly flirty remarks.
Zhenzhen: Those are all my lines!
