Mi primer marido después de la transmigración

Capítulo 76

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 60

Chapter word count: 3677 Update time: 09-08-14 14:24

During this lonely winter, I became more diligent than ever before. After finishing my needlework with Yinyan, I would go to the rare bird park to check on the pigeons that Zinuo usually cared for. The first time I entered the rare bird park after Zinuo left, I met someone I never expected: Shi Nan.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Shi Nan, who was covered in dust from the birds.

Shi Nan smiled sheepishly: "Zinuo left with the young prince, so the young prince summoned me back to take charge of this place."

I asked, puzzled, "You're back? Why does Mingxin Courtyard seem deserted?"

Shi Nan smiled and said, "I'm staying at the Prince's place. The young prince isn't here, so all the information has been handed over to the prince for processing. It's more convenient for me to stay there."

So that's how it is. No wonder I hadn't seen him before. Seeing that he didn't seem very familiar with me, I kindly helped him take care of the pigeons, and at least I had someone to talk to. However, since I wasn't as familiar with him as I was with Song Zhixuan and the others, the range of things we could chat about was much smaller.

By the end of November, it finally started to snow, a heavy, swirling snowfall. Zinuo and the others should have arrived in Jinque Kingdom by now, but sadly they won't see this first snow. I built four small snowmen in the courtyard, arranging them as we used to play cards with Song Zhixuan and the others, and stood to the side, talking to myself. Sigh, this time I'm truly feeling incredibly lonely.

A faint fragrance wafted into my nostrils. I looked around cautiously; there were no plum blossoms planted in our courtyard. Just then, I saw Yin Yan walk by with a smile, carrying a vase containing a sprig of vibrant red plum blossoms. I quickly asked, "Are the plum blossoms in the plum garden in bloom?"

Seeing me standing in the courtyard covered in snow, Yin Yan beckoned me to the corridor. As soon as I stepped onto the wooden floor, Yin Yan brushed the snow off my head and body, saying irritably, "Don't you know how much snow there is? You'll be soaked when it melts."

I smiled ingratiatingly and said, "We just built a few snowmen to play with, didn't we?" Then I asked, "Are the plum blossoms in the plum garden in bloom?"

“That’s right, Fifth Granny just sent it over. There are only the two of us left in Qiufeng Courtyard, it’s a good thing Fifth Granny still remembered.” Yinyan said with a smile, her tone slightly sentimental.

"How about we go to the plum garden together?" I suggested, since we could admire the plum blossoms again.

Yin Yan shook her head: "The snow is too heavy. If you want to go, go by yourself. You'd better bring an umbrella."

I readily agreed, accompanied Yinyan back to her room, then turned around and went to my own room to change into snow boots, grabbed an oil-paper umbrella, and went out.

Arriving at the long-missed plum garden, I recalled picking flowers there last year during the first snowfall, encountering the eccentric Shen Zexuan, which made me chuckle. This year, not only Qiufeng Garden, but this place itself seemed even more deserted. Walking through the plum grove with my umbrella, large clumps of snowflakes fell softly onto it, quickly forming a thick layer. I gently twirled the handle, and the snowflakes scattered around, a beautiful sight. I stopped beside a plum tree, the very one where I had slept last year. I laid the umbrella on the snow, slapped the trunk, and it vibrated. Countless snowflakes, mixed with some bright red petals, rained down, covering my head and body, some even trickling down my neck, cool and itchy.

I was having a great time ruthlessly destroying flowers in the plum grove when a warm breath gently blew into my neck from behind. I froze, standing there motionless.

"It really is you." A seductive voice murmured softly from behind, sending shivers down one's spine.

I turned around and gave an awkward smile: "Your Highness, what a coincidence. Are you here to visit the Prince today?"

Shen Zexuan smiled and said, "No, I'll use the pretext of visiting Your Highness to make it a chance encounter." His gaze was so intense that I dared not look him in the eye.

"What a coincidence," I said with an awkward laugh.

Shen Zexuan picked up the paper umbrella from the ground and held it over my head. With his other hand, he gently brushed the snowflakes off me. I noticed that his cloak and snow hat were also covered in a thick layer of snow, but I didn't think to brush it off for him. Thinking about it, I was really being a bit of a repressed person. I was thinking about him all the time, but when I saw him, I still pretended to be all lovey-dovey.

After brushing the snow off his clothes, Shen Zexuan said with some dissatisfaction, "Haoyu gave you a token to leave the manor, so why didn't you come to find me?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't know what reason I could give to find Your Highness, and there are many dangers outside the manor, so I dare not go out alone again."

Suddenly, Shen Zexuan took my hand. It was the first time we had ever held hands like this. His palms were dry and warm, and his skin was smooth and soft to the touch. I didn't pull away and let him lead me toward the Dark Fragrance Pavilion in the woods. It seemed that no one had been here recently, as the pavilion hadn't been cleaned. The railings were covered with a thick layer of snow, and the benches and tables were covered with a thin layer of ice.

I took off my gray fur cloak and placed it on the stool, inviting Shen Zexuan to sit down. Shen Zexuan also took off his cloak, shaking off the snowflakes that covered the floor, and made as if to spread them on the stool as well. I quickly stopped him and told him to put it back on. Helpless, Shen Zexuan had no choice but to move the cloak from the stool to the table and pull me to sit on the table with him.

Shen Zexuan's cloak covered half of my back, and he held my hand tightly, a faint happiness welling up in my heart.

"What happened to you?" Shen Zexuan asked, following up on the question from earlier.

I told him about the two incidents with a wry smile, but omitted the part about recognizing Aunt Yun at the brothel. I only said that I had managed to escape, because the Mo family still bore some responsibility before the case was overturned, and I didn't want to cause any more trouble. I didn't even plan to tell Zinuo about Aunt Yun, even though Zinuo would resent me again.

When I told him I'd been drugged and thrown into a brothel, Shen Zexuan's face darkened horribly. I'd never imagined such an expression on such a handsome face. He gripped my hand tightly. I quickly explained, "They didn't do anything to me. I escaped unharmed, without even a scratch." I'd just been tossed around so much that my bones almost broke.

"If we find out who is so vicious, we will grind them to dust." Shen Zexuan's tone was frighteningly cold, even colder than the winter.

Regardless, he still felt some comfort. But what if the person behind the scenes was his father, the emperor?

To ease the tension, I laughed and said, "I've been running to crowded places all the time, yet not a single spies from the Prince Qing's Mansion and the Third Prince's Mansion have noticed me. Please help me out."

Shen Zexuan said awkwardly, "No one in my household knows you. You always appear with me as Nightingale." Then he added, "It would be strange if the Prince of Qing's household didn't know."

Not wanting to dwell on this issue any longer, I feared it would only make me feel disheartened, so I changed the subject, saying, "That young master Yu seems to be quite the charming man. I wonder how many girls' hearts he has when he walks down the street."

He gripped my hand tighter: "Where is your heart?"

I chuckled and turned my head away from him. But then I heard him say, "Do you know who this Young Master Yu is?"

I was curious too, so I looked at Shen Zexuan expectantly. Shen Zexuan smiled slightly, his eyes holding a hint of something unreadable: "Then Young Master Yu must be Yu Jia, the most expensive male prostitute in the Youjing Dynasty."

I had speculated about the various identities of the young master Yu, such as the young master of some noble family, the young master of some mysterious force, and so on. I had attributed all the romantic and alluring identities that young girls dreamed of to him, but I never thought that such an outstanding person would be a man of the night, and a male prostitute, whom I found very unacceptable!

Seeing my disappointment and disbelief, Shen Zexuan smiled and said in a good mood, "So, where is your heart now?"

Sensing Shen Zexuan's thoughts, I couldn't help but smile and say, "Young Master Yu, with such a high net worth, you must be quite famous, right?"

“Apart from people like you, almost everyone outside knows Yu Jia’s name, especially among high-ranking officials and nobles. Many people consider it an honor to meet Yu Jia,” Shen Zexuan said with a hint of sarcasm.

My mischievous side suddenly arose: "I wonder if the Third Prince, who is famous for his homosexuality, would also be honored to meet with Young Master Yu?" But I couldn't help but wonder, if Yu Jia is so famous, there's no reason why Shen Tingxuan wouldn't know about him, so why didn't he tell me?

Shen Zexuan glared at me with displeasure and said, "It's necessary to thoroughly investigate that jade shop."

I shook my head and said, "The Prince Qing's mansion is in a difficult situation right now. Whether it's Yu Jia or that jade shop, we shouldn't investigate them until they make any moves. Just keep an eye on them secretly. I'm afraid the person behind them is someone we can't handle. Since they're only doing this covertly, we'll have to stay hidden too." Shen Tingxuan only said to send someone to protect me secretly, seemingly without any other plans.

Shen Zexuan pursed his lips, his brows furrowed slightly, lost in thought. After a long while, he said, "I thought I could see you often, but now it seems you should stay in the Prince Qing's residence."

I nodded slightly, and Shen Zexuan stood up from the table, and I stood up as well. Shen Zexuan picked up my gray fur cloak and unfolded it; it was already soaked with water stains, making the already unsightly cloak look even more shabby. I turned my face away awkwardly. Shen Zexuan chuckled and helped me put the cloak back on, saying, "This thing is really ugly. I'll get you a new one another day." As he spoke, he bent down to pick up the umbrella on the ground, took my hand, and walked down the steps of the Dark Fragrance Pavilion.

As we approached the entrance to the plum garden, Shen Zexuan stopped, looking at me with a hint of reluctance. I knew our chances of meeting were incredibly slim, and this parting might be the last time we saw each other, which made me feel a pang of sadness.