Scented tea calms the mind and fills the room with fragrance.
Xu Zhihuai held the warm tea bowl in both hands and looked at the daisies blooming in the green soup. It bloomed stretched and beautifully, but unfortunately, the fragrance could not cure her worries.
"Drink this tea and then have a good rest."
"Your Highness, I can't sleep..."
He was coaxing her, she was keeping him, but she didn't believe he didn't understand.
"Tell you a secret, okay?"
Zhu Xuxing said with a smile on his lips: "I often got lost in the palace when I was a child. At that time, we liked to play hide and seek. It was common to get lost. When I got anxious, I couldn't find the southeast, northwest, and could only be trapped in those places. Wandering around in deserted corners. This palace is too big, and some places have been vacant for many years. They are desolate and secluded, which is even more scary... Fortunately, no matter how long we are lost, we can always be found by the eldest sister, who will take care of the three of us. He brought them back neatly, wiped our faces and washed our hands, and laughed at our ugly appearance of crying."
Xu Zhihuai listened carefully and was secretly confused.
three people?
The prince, Wei Li, and the other one is Yue Yichuan?
Seeing that she was listening intently, Zhu Xuxing deliberately joked: "If you get lost, I will find you."
Xu Zhihuai was in a daze for a moment before finally realizing it.
Was he comforting her?
Zhu Xuxing stared directly into her eyes and continued: "I know you don't like it here, but I really want you to stay with me."
The more magnanimous he is, the harder it is to "deal with" him.
It was difficult for Xu Zhihuai to pretend to be reluctant, so he lowered his head and pursed his lips in response.
"Now you know my dirty laundry."
Zhu Xuxing continued to be concerned, his voice was low and magnetic: "So, can you tell me what you were afraid of just now?"
Xu Zhihuai told the truth: "Dream... nightmare."
Those lingering nightmares would always bring her back to that night, when the fire in the sky could not burn out the bottomless dark alley. Xu Zhihuai fought hard to escape in his dream until he woke up. However, every time she woke up from the dream, the smooth silk satin soaked with tears was pressed against her cheek. It was empty and cold, without the life of a living person, which made her even more sad.
Zhu Suxing's phoenix eyes darkened slightly.
It turns out that she is usually cold and taciturn, but inside she is as sensitive and restless as a child.
Zhu Xuxing ordered the palace maids to add a tall candlestick to the room, and ordered them to hang up all the curtains. He gathered up his clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Xu Zhihuai who was lying down obediently, his eyes full of soft light that he could not hide. : "Tonight, I will stay here with you."
Why is he so gentle and too nice?
Xu Zhihuai blinked and invited vaguely: "Your Highness, won't you sleep?"
Zhu Xuxing shook his head lightly: "No, there is still an hour before the morning court." After saying that, he tapped her eyebrows with his fingertips, signaling her to close her eyes obediently.
Xu Zhihuai was quiet and obedient.
I don't know if it was because Wei Li's threats exhausted her energy, but she fell asleep quickly.
When I woke up, the candlestick had not yet burned out, and there was a faint fragrance lingering in the air, smelling like a very precious spice.
Xu Zhihuai pushed up his heavy body and sat up. When he saw the maids coming to serve him, they all looked happy.
"Girl, His Highness said, come and see the girl after the morning court."
"Um."
Xu Zhihuai looked at the extra incense burner in the room and asked quietly: "Where did the incense burner come from?"
The palace maid smiled and said, "Go back to the girl, this is the incense burner. His Royal Highness ordered someone to send it. It is filled with the finest Shuning incense for the girl to soothe her nerves."
"oh."
Xu Zhihuai's dull reaction left them confused.
His Highness was obviously so kind to her, so why wasn't she happy at all?
There are many rumors about Xu Zhihuai in the palace, each with its own splendor. Xu Zhihuai occasionally heard the palace maids whispering about her origins. The most outrageous among them was that she was a mountain fox and waved her sleeves. The demon Feng'er charmed His Highness the Prince.
If only it were that easy, it would be better.
Xu Zhi sneered secretly.
Wei Li is very cautious and won't give her too much time. Sooner or later, he will go crazy.
Xu Zhihuai didn't want to sit still and wait for death. Now, even if she gets the prince's favor, she can't escape Wei Li's control.
Prince, Wei Li... if you continue to be sandwiched between them like this, you will only die.
The incense burner burned out and white smoke curled up.
Xu Zhihuai looked along the smoke, and suddenly a person flashed in his mind.
The eldest princess whom I have never met but is often mentioned.
Wei Li was arrogant and domineering, and after hearing her name just now, his face rarely showed a hint of humanity. The previous painting was also carefully designed by him to make her like it.
Did Wei Li put so much thought into the eldest princess? And for what?
After half a day, Zhu Xiuxing came as expected.
"Your Highness..."
Xu Zhihuai lowered his head to salute, and his knees were slightly bent before he was lifted up by a pair of big hands: "I told you, you don't need to salute when there are no other people around."
Xu Zhihuai said quietly: "This is the rule in the palace."
"When you're here with me, there aren't so many rules. Just be comfortable."
He habitually held her hand and took her out for a walk.
The sunset is infinitely beautiful and everything is golden.
Xu Zhihuai lowered his eyes and thought. Just as he was thinking about what to say, Zhu Xuxing spoke first: "Did you sleep well last night?"
Xu Zhihuai nodded: "Thanks to His Highness, I didn't have any nightmares last night."
Zhu Xuxing held her little hand tightly: "It's a pity that I can't come here to accompany you every night. In more than a month, I will get married, and I have to start preparing for many things."
When Xu Zhihuai heard this, he paused slightly and raised his eyes to look at him, feeling uneasy.
Zhu Xuxing saw her face full of sadness and said: "Before the wedding, I can spend more time with you."
Xu Zhihuai withdrew his hand impulsively and uneasily, and turned around: "Your Highness's marriage is important, so don't worry about me. I'm not from the palace. I'll just go wherever the rootless duckweed floats..."
She was so depressed, as if a heavy stone had been pressed against her heart, making her breathless.
Zhu Xuxing pulled her hand back with deep eyes: "That's not what I meant. You are not Duckweed."
Xu Zhihuai immediately asked, "Then what am I?"
She waited for his answer, her heart in her throat.
"You are special."
Zhu Xuxing took her to sit down in the pavilion and talked face to face: "My marriage has been decided a long time ago. After the Crown Princess enters the palace, the people around me will naturally have their own status. But you are different from them. You are neither The woman appointed by my father to me is not the concubine arranged by my mother. You are the person I fell in love with at first sight. Even if you are by my side, I will always think of the scene when I first met you that day, and I will be fascinated by it. ! No one has ever made me dream of you like this. You are so special and precious..." After saying that, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.
The soft lips overflowed with a honey-like tenderness that seemed to melt everything in the world. Unfortunately, Xu Zhihuai's heart was as solid as a rock and he remained unmoved.
After all, if you want to gain a foothold in the palace, you can't do it without an upright identity.
