Chapter 408: Chapter 406: I Just Want You to Stop Bothering My Wife
Huo Mingyan’s expression shifted, and Shen Xinghan noticed every detail below.
Now inheriting the Duke Shen title, he was also the most outstanding among the young officials, drawing the attention of the surrounding officials who frequently toasted him and conversed jovially.
He responded perfunctorily to them, while unhurriedly finishing the wine in his cup.
Huo Mingyan was more resilient than he had imagined.
But how long could she endure?
Perhaps, he ought to give her a little push.
He put down the wine cup and glanced toward the outside of the hall.
The Astronomical Bureau predicted rain tonight.
He gave a look to the palace maid in green who was serving wine.
The palace maid subtly bowed her head.
By the time the banquet ended, a misty drizzle had enveloped the outside of the hall.
The palace maids and eunuchs prepared paper umbrellas and began escorting the honored guests out of the palace one by one.
Shen Yinning was arranged to leave last.
Unexpectedly, when the green-clad maid responsible for escorting her to Furong Palace opened an umbrella, she discovered it was broken.
The maid immediately looked flustered and said apologetically, "I had no idea this umbrella was damaged... Commandery Princess, would you mind waiting here a moment while I retrieve an intact one?"
Shen Yinning glanced at the autumn rain outside the hall.
She wouldn’t mind getting wet, ordinarily, but now that she was pregnant, her body was weaker than usual; falling ill would be troubling.
She said, "Go ahead."
The green-clad maid hurried away, rounding a corner of a corridor, and saw Shen Xinghan and Lu Ying standing beneath a palace lantern talking, while Gui Quan and others waited nearby.
She exchanged a discrete glance with Shen Xinghan, then anxiously bowed to Gui Quan. "Gui Gonggong, might I ask if you have any extra umbrellas? The paper umbrellas reserved by Chengxi Palace are all used up, but the one intended for Princess Zhaoning is broken, leaving her stranded outside the hall. The rain is getting heavier by the moment, and the Princess cannot return. For ordinary guests, this would be less of an issue, but the Princess is pregnant. The roads are slippery in this weather; if anything happens to her, how could I bear the responsibility?"
"Oh dear..." Gui Quan furrowed his brows, instinctively glancing at Lu Ying. "What should we do now?"
Shen Xinghan appeared oblivious to their commotion. He commented seriously, "My thoughts align with Your Majesty’s. The alliance between Yan Country and the other nations is not indestructible. We can send envoys to persuade them individually, fracturing their coalition from within while attacking Yan Country’s forces from the outside. As for whom we delegate to negotiate..."
Lu Ying clasped his hands behind his back, his narrow eyes as shadowed as the storm outside the corridor. "What about Cui Ji?"
Shen Xinghan’s lips curved slightly.
Though he had anticipated Lu Ying’s course of action, he still bent deeply in salute. "Your Majesty is wise!"
After Shen Xinghan departed, Gui Quan cautiously approached, holding his horsetail whisk. "Your Majesty, this servant heard that Princess Zhaoning is stranded at Chengxi Palace due to heavy rain. Since Your Majesty’s path back to the Imperial Study is still under renovation, and your sedan chair is passing by Furong Palace anyway, might you consider giving the Princess a ride?"
For a servant to suggest such a proposition was audacious.
Yet Gui Quan knew his master would take pleasure in such remarks.
If the Princess were left exposed to the rain and hardship befell her, his master would undoubtedly toss and turn over it privately, disrupting the servants’ routines in the process.
Lu Ying replied coldly, "If she’s stranded in the rain, what does that have to do with Us?"
"It’s unrelated, of course, but Minister Cui is now defending the borders of the nation. If his family member, pregnant and residing in the palace, encounters misfortune, would this not chill the hearts of the court officials? Your Majesty has always been magnanimous and gracious. If you feigned indifference in such matters, it might instead seem like you harbor sentiments for the Princess, provoking unnecessary speculation. Besides, the night is deep, the dew heavy, and there is no one else on the road. All here belong to Your Majesty—no rumors will spread from this."
Lu Ying fell silent.
Observing his expression, Gui Quan realized his master did not disapprove.
Shen Yinning frowned, waiting beneath the corridor eaves outside the hall.
The green-clad maid had vanished without returning, leaving her there alone.
She peered at the increasingly dense curtain of rain.
Originally, Haitang was supposed to wait for her outside, but thinking it was the Mid-Autumn Festival tonight, she sent Haitang off to celebrate early.
Now, she was left without anyone to rely on...
The hazy illumination of lanterns appeared amidst the rain.
A wide, grand black sedan chair with gold weaving stopped before Chengxi Palace.
Gui Quan jogged over, holding an umbrella, and smiled. "The road is slippery at night, and the rain is heavy. The Princess is expecting and cannot traverse. My master is willing to escort the Princess part of the way."
Shen Yinning looked toward the sedan chair.
The curtains were lowered; she couldn’t see who was inside.
Lu Ying...
He was actually willing to escort her back?
Not one to hesitate, she boarded Lu Ying’s sedan chair straightforwardly.
Inside, lanterns crafted from Bright Pearl glowed softly. Plush brocade rugs lined the floor, and arrays of low tables and meditation cushions decorated the interior. One side featured a delicate bookshelf holding a dozen volumes on statecraft and geography.
Lu Ying sat upright, his gaze lowered to the book in his hands.
Shen Yinning removed her embroidered shoes and bowed to him before stepping inside.
She curled herself into a small corner, trying not to take up space.
The sedan chair began moving.
Lu Ying turned a page of his book.
While his eyes absorbed the inked lines on governance, his senses were ensnared by the fragrance emanating from the maiden.
Her scent was intrusive and commanding, immediately overtaking the soothing sandalwood burning in the sedan chair, reaching his senses in intangible threads.
He could even feel her aroma clinging to his sleeves and collar.
Why did she smell so distinct?
Though he had been intimate with women from the harem before, some laden with heavy perfumes, none had ever invaded his thoughts with this aggressive determination, unraveling his focus entirely.
Lu Ying inhaled deeply.
His peripheral gaze landed on Shen Yinning’s skirt hem.
She had spread her gown, covering her feet.
The rainwater splashing under the eaves earlier must have dampened her skirt hem, the darkened stain now etching visible patterns against her clothing that clung tightly to her legs. Yet she seemed unbothered by the chance of catching a chill.
But what did it matter if she caught a chill?
Simply offering her a ride back to Furong Palace was already benevolence beyond measure.
He withdrew his gaze and turned another page of his book, but found himself unable to continue reading.
Lu Ying closed the book, intending to say something. But remembering their previous wager, he hesitated to be the first to speak.
After a long silence, he took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
Shen Yinning revealed a hint of surprise.
Pausing momentarily, she accepted the handkerchief and gently dabbed at the dampened skirt hem. "Your Majesty worries that I might carry rainwater inside and soil your sedan chair?"
Lu Ying frowned.
Wasn’t the rule that whoever spoke first would be considered a dog?
Why did she suddenly start talking?
Shen Yinning folded the handkerchief. "I’ll clean it before returning it to you. Or would you prefer I compensate you with a new one?"
She finished speaking but received no response from Lu Ying.
She glanced up.
Meeting Lu Ying’s conflicted and hesitant gaze, she suddenly recalled the wager she had casually mentioned in the pavilion tonight.
She was even more taken aback. "A childish game—so childish one could tell at a glance I was just saying it offhand to keep you from annoying me. Could it be... you actually took it seriously?"
Lu Ying: "..."
What she had dismissed as a fleeting, insignificant jest was, to him, a matter he had treated with the utmost consideration.