Чистая вода и прекрасные горы

Глава 20

He had a jade thumb ring hanging from his chest; it was of very good quality, and I held it in my hand, fiddling with it.

"You still have this treasure?" I asked casually.

"My mother..."

"Oh." Seeing his dazed expression, I couldn't help but put him down.

"Do you like it?" He stared at me, his face serious.

"Huh?" I was taken aback.

"Shall I take you home?" His expression remained cold.

I was somewhat dumbfounded. I was probably used to his usual coldness, but even though he said those words with an icy expression, they made me feel hot all over.

I stroked the jade ring in my hand. Lu Li also had a similar ring, which he often played with.

Seeing that I was in a daze, he sighed softly, "It would be good to go and see him."

I understood what he meant, shook my head, and smiled faintly as I looked out the window. The dark clouds hung low, as if it were going to rain.

I sat down at the table, poured myself a cup of tea, and brought it to my lips, but I couldn't drink it.

It was Xiao Si's voice outside the door, "Your Highness, the Master has woken up..."

I breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of tea; it was so bitter.

Chapter Eighteen: The Test

The Southern Garden of the Imperial Palace.

Leaning against the door, he straightened his collar, intending to push the door open and go inside. He heard Xiwen's voice from inside the room, "Has Seventh Sister-in-law arrived? Seventh Brother is asking her to come in."

Xiao Si, who was waiting, hesitated for a moment: "A message was just delivered. Our Princess Consort knows that the Master has woken up, and the Empress has also sent people to urge him several times."

Hearing this, I quickly pushed open the door and stood in the hall, saying, "Sister-in-law, I'm here."

Xi Wen forced a smile: "It's good that you're here, sister-in-law. Seventh Brother was just about to invite you in to talk." With that, she pulled the curtain of the inner room and let me in, then stepped back out.

I nodded and went inside, leading Xiao Si out of the hall and closing the palace door.

The warm room was quiet. The lighting was dim. There was a medicinal smell in the air.

I slowly approached the bedside. Lu Li lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his face as pale as paper. His clothes and the bedding were covered in bright red bloodstains. I was about to scold him for not helping to clean up.

He opened his eyes and asked calmly, "You've come?"

I nodded without saying anything.

"How is Fourth Brother?" He sighed and smiled, then suddenly asked this question.

"Um."

"You've hidden your skills very well." He coughed softly, took my left hand in his, and touched the thick callus. "But it—will never lie."

That's right...

Because he was worried that his skill level would be easily discovered, he never showed the slightest flaw, and even practiced swordsmanship with his left hand from the very beginning, but he was still discovered...

"You knew from the beginning?" I glanced at him; he still had a calm expression. I smiled slightly. "Perhaps, you knew from the first day you met me..."

On our wedding day, he led me from the sedan chair. As clever as he was, he couldn't help but suspect the roughness between my left fingers.

“I don’t care…” He slowly sat up and leaned against the bed.

The candlelight by the bedside flickered twice, and he finally spoke, "How have you been these past few days?"

"It's nothing more than that..." I smiled and turned my head to the side.

He lowered his head slightly, looking somewhere, "It's really rare for us to have a few words together in such a quiet way."

I just smiled, finally mustering up the courage, and asked, "Do you like Xiwen? Do you really like her?"

He frowned, looked up at me, and remained silent.

I took a breath and forced a smile. "Fourth Sister-in-law said that Xiwen is still a virgin. I don't want to wrong her like this, or...you."

He coughed. "So?"

“If Your Majesty also has this intention, I will speak to the Empress. At worst, I will shamelessly beg for it for Your Majesty—” I paused as I watched his face turn increasingly purplish-blue.

He sighed and twitched the corner of his mouth. "Absurd... According to you, should I also ask the Princess to send you to Fourth Brother's or Eighth Brother's place?"

"You—" I glared at him, my face burning.

He shook his head, his eyes shifting to my face. I thought he was going to say, "How dare you be so uncouth!" Instead, he smiled and said, "When did I ever tell you I liked Xiwen?"

"Huh?" I was taken aback.

“That little girl just keeps bothering me.” Lu Li shook his head. “I treat her like a little sister, just a little sister.”

I was stunned, unable to describe my feelings.

"Having you in the manor is enough to give me a few headaches," he said, seemingly jokingly.

"But--"

"No buts, you don't need to worry about this."

"I--"