Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 135
As the sedan chair approached, Zi Jin threw the wine cup in her hand. The guard with the sword quickly dodged and looked warily towards the window where Zi Jin was standing. More than thirty people stopped at the same time, their swords drawn as they stared at Zi Jin, who was still smiling.
"Whose young master is this? He's so handsome!" Zi Jin touched the face of the entertainer beside her and said to the guards downstairs.
When Zi Jin uttered the first word, the person in the sedan chair abruptly lifted the curtain, staring blankly at the window, their eyes filled with joy, a smile slowly curving their lips. That smile was like the bright winter sun, warming one's heart and giving one an urge to cry.
The guard beside the sedan chair, whose face was three parts heroic and seven parts delicate, flashed a hint of shame and indignation, then looked on with doubt: "The young lady's voice sounds so familiar."
Zi Jin's smile grew increasingly frivolous, and her voice increasingly wanton: "I find you quite familiar, young master. I never imagined that our mountain town had such a stunning beauty."
The guard blushed instantly, having never been teased by a woman like this before, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.
The person in the sedan chair frowned as they looked at the woman leaning against the male entertainer's chest: although her appearance and voice were about 80% similar, her demeanor was too coquettish, and her eyes too unrestrained and arrogant. A smile was clearly playing on her lips, but her eyes were icy cold, and she exuded a chilling aura that kept everyone at arm's length.
Jin'er's eyes were always calm, lacking the assertiveness that usually emanated from her. Jin'er dared not flirt with other men in the street, Jin'er never wore white robes, and Jin'er would never lean against someone's chest and smile coquettishly. Yet, she would never admit her mistakes, never admitted her mistakes.
The person inside the sedan chair abruptly lowered the curtain: "Lower the sedan chair."
The guards, who had been glaring angrily at Zi Jin, quickly lowered their heads and whispered, "The moment our master arrived, this woman appeared on her own. It's all too coincidental. We should investigate first."
The person inside the sedan chair fell silent for a moment, then lifted the curtain again. Looking up, they saw Zi Jin leaning against the window, flirting with the man beside her. Their eyes instantly filled with anger, yet a flicker of hesitation crossed their gaze. Though they were certain, they still couldn't believe this was the person they had longed for day and night.
Seeing that the person in the sedan chair was no longer speaking, the guards ordered the men to hurry toward the post station.
Zi Jin stared at the procession as it moved further and further away, her smile fading. She withdrew her hand from the performer's, walked to the table, closed her eyes, and lay down.
Bao Xian picked up the brocade quilt from the bed and gently covered Zi Jin with it, then placed the small charcoal stove for warming hands inside the quilt.
The sudden warmth made Zi Jin sigh softly. She slowly curled up into a ball. The performer noticed that Zi Jin was afraid of the cold, so he quickly went over and knelt down by the window to block the cold wind from outside.
Zi Jin suddenly chuckled softly: "Why do you think... he's here to join in the fun?"
Bao Xian knelt beside Zi Jin: "Does Your Highness really not know why His Highness the Crown Prince has come?"
Zi Jin suddenly opened her eyes, her face gradually turning cold: "It's not him who should be here. The person the old woman is waiting for isn't him, is he?"
Bao Xian looked up at the male entertainer blocking the window and said, "You can go down now. We'll call you to serve us later."
The male performer glanced at Zi Jin, who hadn't stopped him, and silently retreated. As soon as he left, a gust of cold wind swept over her, and Zi Jin shivered unconsciously. Bao Xian quietly moved to the male performer's seat and knelt down.
“Baoxian, why have your eyes turned black again as soon as we returned to this mountain town?” Zi Jin asked with her eyes closed.
“It’s been covered up with medicine.” Bao Xian’s face gradually darkened.
Zi Jin revealed a mocking smile: "So even Steward Bao is afraid of his own strange eyes. They're terrifying."
Bao Xian didn't look up, and said in a low voice, "I remember more than three years ago, when Master went out of the palace for a trip, he saw people from foreign lands. When he returned to the palace, he told Bao Xian and Yu Luo that the woman had a pair of crimson eyes, more dazzling than flames. Bao Xian once asked Master if he felt scared or strange when he saw those unusual eyes. Master wrote, 'Blue eyes represent purity, green represents vitality, and red represents passion. Don't look at the differences of foreigners with narrow-minded and discriminatory eyes. Everyone in the world looks the same, so what's there to see?'... Has Master forgotten?"
Zi Jin slowly opened her eyes, glanced sideways and pondered for a moment: "Did I say that? I have no recollection of it at all."
Bao Xian's gaze gradually turned cold: "If Master doesn't like Bao Xian using medicine to cover it up..."
"I don't have any particular feelings about you, I was just asking casually," Zi Jin waved her hand dismissively.
Bao Xian's eyes grew increasingly cold: "The three kingdoms received the news almost simultaneously, but His Highness the Crown Prince was one step ahead of everyone else. The Yu family received the news three days ago. This time, it was originally Emperor Xuanlong's... instructions to come, but His Highness the Crown Prince refused to give in. In the end, Emperor Xuanlong could not persuade His Highness the Crown Prince, which shows how much His Highness values his master. The Dugu King is capricious and his whereabouts are elusive. I'm afraid he is dispensable to his master. The Sikou King is worried about the pregnant Consort Luo but has been reluctant to set off."
Zi Jin stared intently at Bao Xian: "Oh? You seem to know quite a lot about this."
Just then, the sound of carriages and horses could be heard again outside the now slightly darkened window. Zi Jin and Bao Xian got up almost simultaneously and looked out the window.
A procession of over fifty people, with two dark red sedan chairs in the center, moved silently toward the post station. Fine snowflakes still drifted in the air, and darkness was gradually falling. Zi Jin watched the people following outside one of the sedan chairs, a cryptic smile slowly creeping onto her lips, before she strolled back to her seat.
Bao Xian remained kneeling on the spot, expressionless.
“The capital of Yue Kingdom is only thirteen days' journey from Shanzhong Town, yet our Crown Prince has taken a month and a half. Chen Kingdom’s capital is the farthest capital from Shanzhong Town among the three kingdoms. With the heavy snow blocking the roads, it would normally take more than a month for Brother Sikou to arrive here. Their two teams arrived at Shanzhong Town one after the other, which seems to contradict the Yu family’s intelligence.” Zi Jin walked to Bao Xian’s side and said softly.
Bao Xian raised his head and smiled calmly: "The King of Sikou is so anxious, it must be because he is eager to welcome back the person he has loved for many years. It seems to have nothing to do with you, Master." When Bao Xian spoke, he deliberately emphasized "the person he has loved for many years".
The feigned smile froze on her face instantly. Zi Jin suddenly raised her hand, and Bao Xian fearlessly raised her face to meet it. Zi Jin's expression changed, and a trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes. Her hand stopped in mid-air.
After a long while, Zi Jin smiled instead of getting angry. She pulled Bao Xian into her arms, pinched his chin with her other hand, and gently stroked Bao Xian's smooth skin: "Being a eunuch is great. Your skin is even more delicate than a woman's."
Bao Xian lowered his eyes, his lips, pale from the cold wind, pressed tightly together, and he slowly said, "As expected, the master cares most about the King of Sikou... It's just a pity that the King of Sikou not only has the stunningly beautiful Lady Luo by his side, but also can't forget his beloved who passed away many years ago. Bao Xian is truly worried about the bumpy road of the master's love life."
Zi Jin's smile remained, but her eyes were icy cold. Her lips brushed against Bao Xian's ear, her cold hand slowly slipping inside Bao Xian's robes: "A body favored by the Yue Kingdom's prince is indeed extraordinary. The feel of this is incomparable to that of other women. Tell me... how many times did Jun An favor you in one night?"
Bao Xian's eyelashes trembled slightly: "The Second Prince favored Bao Xian several times in one night. Bao Xian doesn't quite remember, but Bao Xian knows that the King of Sikou has refused the master's advances more than once."
Zi Jin's smile vanished instantly. Her cold hand froze on Bao Xian's skin, her eyes flashing with humiliation and resentment: "You dog slave! You..."
"Bang!" The door was suddenly kicked open, and a figure in royal blue appeared outside: "I want to see who has such great wealth as to book the entire fourth floor."
Zi Jin raised her eyes and met the man's gaze, then glanced at the madam cowering timidly behind the young master, and coldly asked, "What's going on?"
The figure in sapphire blue looked at the person in Zi Jin's arms, his pupils shrinking, and he sneered: "I'll offer three times the price to book this entire fourth floor and the entertainer in your arms."
Unresolved emotions and inescapable demonic obstacles; karmic retribution—when will we meet again? Ten years of grudges and debts, all lost in the vastness of time. (Part Six)
Ten years of grudges and enmity are now a distant memory (Part 6) Zi Jin instantly recovered from her shock. She gently stroked Bao Xian's eyes, eyebrows, and lips: "Why should you be angry, young master? If you like these four floors, you can choose any of the remaining rooms."
The man walked over slowly, stopped at the table opposite Zi Jin, and sat down casually. A glint of shrewdness flashed in his amber eyes: "This room has the best view. No other room can compare. The performer in your arms is also exquisitely beautiful. Does Miss not wish to part with her?"
Bao Xian kept his eyes tightly closed, his body extremely stiff, yet he dared not struggle.
Zi Jin ignored the words of the person opposite him and said without looking up, "Young master must be new to this place and unaware of the rules of the Yu family?"
The man raised his eyes and looked Zi Jin up and down with amusement: "Could it be that you are the famous Miss Yu from Zhongshan Town?"