Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 183
Zi Jin smiled slightly and nodded gently: "Mm."
Xiao Bai reached out and pulled Zi Jin into his arms, preventing her from turning around, and then ignored the shopkeeper.
Cheng Qingsong, who was drinking tea nearby, noticed Xiaobai's obvious jealousy and quickly intervened, asking the waiter, "Approximately how many days will it take to make?"
"It will probably take some time... There are too many women in Qingzhen ordering cloud-patterned garments recently. If you are in a hurry, it will take at least half a month," the shopkeeper said, stepping forward with some difficulty.
“People in Qingzhen rarely get married during the summer months, so why are so many people ordering robes?” Cheng Qingsong asked.
The shopkeeper looked at Cheng Qingsong with curiosity: "The abdication ceremony is in three days. Doesn't the old man know?"
"Abdication? Who abdicates to whom?" Zi Jin asked, frowning.
"Before the New Year, His Majesty personally led an expedition and captured one city each from Chen and Yao Kingdoms, but was also seriously injured in the process. Although His Majesty is now in good health, his body is not what it used to be, so he abdicated in favor of His Highness the Crown Prince and is now focusing on recuperating." The shopkeeper looked at Zi Jin and the other two with an air of knowing full well what was going on.
"What does this abdication have to do with your shop's business?" Cheng Qingsong asked thoughtfully, squinting his small eyes.
"The first thing the new emperor does upon ascending the throne is to fill the harem. Although our Qingzhen is small, we have two spots. His Highness the Crown Prince is not only young and promising, but also very devoted. He has not taken any concubines since his wedding four years ago. So many girls are waiting for these two spots to fall into their laps, so they should dress up nicely."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Is the wedding dress definitely going to be ready in fifteen days?" Cheng Qingsong glanced at the door as if by accident, his expression clearly showing impatience.
"The wedding dress will be ready in fifteen days at most. However, this red silk is produced in Yanzhuang, Jiangnan, and the shop only has three pieces. The price..." The shopkeeper looked at Cheng Qingsong with a troubled expression.
Startled, Zi Jin suddenly snapped back to reality. Having lived and eaten with Cheng Qingsong for the past six months, she and Xiao Bai were practically penniless. How could they let Cheng Qingsong spend too much this time? "Never mind, we..."
"No matter the price, I'll reserve these three bolts of red silk." Cheng Qingsong interrupted Zi Jin, took out two gold ingots from his pocket, and placed them on the table.
“Master…” Zi Jin stepped out of Xiao Bai’s arms and stared blankly at Cheng Qingsong.
Cheng Qingsong didn't look up, continuing to drink the tea in his cup: "Since you know I am your master, you must listen to me."
Standing behind Zi Jin, Xiao Bai glanced casually at Cheng Qingsong, then pulled Zi Jin into her arms: "Don't overthink it, Xiao Zi... you've been wronged..."
Zi Jin quickly turned her face away, and after a while, she turned back to Xiao Bai and smiled gently: "What happens outside has nothing to do with us anymore, I won't overthink it. I'm not wronged, what's wrong with that? It's all for the best, what else is there to be wronged about?"
Xiao Bai gently stroked Zi Jin's hair: "I don't want... Xiao Zi, to feel wronged."
Zi Jin gazed into Xiao Bai's eyes and slowly said, "I'm not wronged, I'm really not wronged. As long as I can be with you, I'm not wronged at all."
"Hmph! Hurry up and go get your measurements taken! Stop chattering on and on, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?" Cheng Qingsong casually flipped through the red silk he had just picked up and hummed nonchalantly.
Zi Jin awkwardly let go of his hand and asked the waiter somewhat uncomfortably, "Where can I get my measurements taken?"
The quick-witted waiter knew from the moment that the person standing next to Zi Jin was a complete jealous type. He didn't dare to lift his eyelids and bowed to Zi Jin, saying, "Please come with me, Miss."
Another employee stood respectfully beside Xiaobai, gesturing in another direction.
Zi Jin and Xiao Bai exchanged a glance, then followed the person in front of them towards the back hall, each entering a separate room. Seeing the two so entangled, Cheng Qingsong rolled his eyes again in exasperation.
Inside the house, the old woman taking measurements immediately smiled broadly when she saw Zi Jin enter: "Please remove your outer robe, young lady."
Zi Jin absentmindedly removed her outer robe and straightened up as the old woman had instructed. From the conversation, Zi Jin realized that Rouge Valley was actually within the territory of the Moon Kingdom. She had fled all night in a panic, thinking she hadn't escaped the area of Mountain Town, but unexpectedly, she had entered Moon Kingdom territory again… Before the New Year, Jun Lin and his men had indeed made their move, each country losing a city. They must be extremely disappointed with this outcome; their initial confidence clearly indicated they intended to wipe them out. Jun Ying… she wondered how badly he was injured. Such a strong-willed person, how could he have been so powerless to retreat so early? …Could it be that Jun Lin was forcing him to abdicate? …No, it shouldn't be. Everything Jun Ying had acquired was meant for Jun Lin; he had no need to force him to abdicate…
Zi Jin felt a sudden numbness run through her body. She stared wide-eyed in terror, trying to scream, but found herself unable to make a sound. She stiffened as she looked at the person in front of her.
"My lord, please forgive me." Bao Xian wrapped Zi Jin in his cloak, hugged her, and quickly walked towards the hidden door.
After passing through countless intricate hidden doors and walking through secret passages for an unknown amount of time, they finally turned a corner and entered a small side room. Only then did Bao Xian tie Zi Jin's cloak and release the pressure points on Zi Jin's body.
"What do you mean by this?" Zi Jin glared sharply at Bao Xian and asked in a cold voice.
"What? Can't I even see Jin'er?" came the aged yet familiar voice from behind.
Zi Jin turned around and saw Madam Yu's aged face. Her wariness deepened. "What advice does Madam have?"
Madam Yu walked up to Zi Jin and lovingly took her hand, inviting her to sit beside her: "It has been more than half a year since I last saw Jin'er, and I have missed her very much."
Zi Jin tried to withdraw her hand from Madam Yu's grasp but failed. She then smiled politely and said, "Madam, please have something to say, but please don't take up too much of my time. If you don't see me, my husband will worry."
"Heh, isn't it too early for Jin'er to call him 'husband'? You and he are not even married yet, so how can you talk about 'husband'?" Madam Yu asked, looking at Zi Jin's face.
Zi Jin said, "Madam should know that marriage is just a formality, and I don't really care about these things. If my husband is unwilling to make me feel uncomfortable, I will just follow his lead in everything."
Madam Yu's smiling face gradually turned cold: "So what if you and Sikou Xunxiang have consummated your marriage? Do you think you can be together?"
"I know in my heart whether I can be with him or not. If Madam came today just to say these things, there's no need to waste any more words. I have other matters to attend to and will take my leave first." Zi Jin pulled her hand away from Madam Yu's hand and strode towards the hidden door, but Bao Xian stopped her with his hand.
"Get out of the way!" Zi Jin's face grew even more gloomy as she looked at Bao Xian, who was blocking her path.
"Please let Madam finish speaking, Master." Bao Xian lowered his head, not daring to meet Zi Jin's gaze.
"I have nothing to say to her, and it would have been even more inappropriate for us to meet today!"
"Master, please don't say such things. Madam has been devoted to you. How can you say such heartless things to her?"
“Bao Xian, you must know that I have never acknowledged you as my secret agent…” Upon hearing this, Bao Xian’s body trembled violently. He seemed unsteady on his feet, staring blankly into Zi Jin’s eyes in disbelief. Zi Jin lowered her eyes, pushed aside the swaying and defenseless Bao Xian, and quickly walked towards the hidden door: “You don’t need to call me master. I have nothing to say to you.”
Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three generations of marriage and grudges, how can the past grievances be recounted? (Part 3)
How can we talk about the grudges of the past (Part 3) "Jin'er! ... How can you be so heartless and cruel to us?" Behind us, came the old lady's strangely desolate voice.
Bao Xian snapped back to his senses and almost instantly moved to the hidden door, blocking it with his body: "Master..."
Zi Jin glared sharply at Bao Xian, her eyes filled with barely suppressed anxiety: "Get out of the way!"
"Master...you don't want Anxi...and you don't want your servant either...do you despise Baoxian?" Long eyelashes covered her emerald eyes, concealing all her emotions.