Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде

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I quietly hugged him and buried my head in his chest. At that moment, my heart was overflowing with happiness. No wonder the male lead in idol dramas always likes to use fireworks as a backdrop to confess to the female lead. This trick never fails.

Shen Zexuan lifted my head, kissed my forehead, then took my hand and we watched together as colorful flowers bloomed and fell from the sky...

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 37

Chapter word count: 3455 Update time: 09-08-03 11:26

When she woke up the next day, she was startled to find that she was not in her own room. Then she found that Zi Nuo was lying next to her, still asleep. Only then did she realize that she was in Shen Zexuan's villa outside the city.

Last night, after the fireworks, everyone went inside and played a few rounds of cards. Later, I couldn't resist the sleepiness anymore and said, "Let's call it a night." Seeing that my eyes were almost closed, Shen Zexuan had someone arrange a room for me to sleep in. Zi Nuo was afraid that my identity would be discovered, so she insisted on sleeping with me, unaware that several people already knew my identity. However, in the end, Zi Nuo still slept in the same room as me.

Seeing that Zi Nuo was still asleep, I tiptoed to the door, closed it, and turned around to see Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao standing there smiling at me.

"Good morning," I quickly greeted them.

"I wonder if 9 AM is considered early?" Lin Zhao said sarcastically.

For my usual routine, this time is just right, but they always get up early, so Shen Haoyu is being lenient with me in this respect. I smiled sheepishly, jumped into the courtyard, grabbed a handful of snow, and smeared it on my face, only to hear Lin Zhao's voice again: "You're really lazy."

I ignored him and simply asked, "Where are the others?"

"Let's go." This time it was Song Zhixuan who spoke, and his tone was somewhat ominous.

I asked in surprise, "Did they all leave?"

“Everyone has left, only the four of us are left,” Lin Zhao said. “When we set off this morning, neither you nor Zinuo were here. The young prince said you must not have woken up yet, so he and the third prince took their men back, leaving the two of us here to wait for you.”

My face flushed bright red instantly, not from the snow, but from the burning heat emanating from within. I stammered, "Young...Young Prince...aren't...aren't you angry?"

Lin Zhao just looked at me with a rather ambiguous gaze, and just when I was about to lose my temper, he said softly, "Brother En, the young prince is really special to you, and so considerate."

I was so embarrassed that I couldn't speak, and just pointed at him with a trembling finger.

Lin Zhao continued, "It's said that the Third Prince is fond of men. Do you think our young prince might have been influenced by him as well?"

I've never thought Lin Zhao was so hateful, not last night and not today!

Let's not even talk about the fact that I'm not a man, and even Shen Zexuan isn't really into homosexuality! As for Shen Haoyu... I'm not sure.

“I knew the young prince had always treated you differently. Look, our brother En is so handsome, no less so than a woman…” Lin Zhao was about to say something more when Song Zhixuan coldly interrupted her: “Ah Zhao, stop talking.”

Lin Zhao snorted and stopped talking. Song Zhixuan glanced at me and said in a deep voice, "Brother En, a true man should keep himself pure and upright so that he can be worthy of heaven and earth!"

Even Song Zhixuan thinks so? These two people who have always been close to me spoke to me in such a tone today. I felt extremely wronged. I held back my tears and turned my face away, saying, "Please wait a moment while I go and wake Zinuo up."

I stopped looking at them and pushed open the door, only to find that Zinuo had already gotten up and was leaning against the window looking at me.

"Sister, I heard everything." Zi Nuo walked over, hugged my waist, and rested her head on my shoulder. "Sister, I'm sorry."

Hearing Zinuo's words, my pent-up grievances seemed to find an outlet, and tears flowed uncontrollably, soaking into Zinuo's clothes. As if sensing my gasp, Zinuo looked up at me and said, "Sister, let's leave here."

I said, "Okay, that's exactly what I was planning to do, wake you up and go back."

Zi Nuo shook her head and said, "No, it's about leaving the Prince Qing's residence."

Leaving the Prince Qing's mansion? I've never even considered it. I don't care about myself, but I can't help but think about Zinuo. Besides, the Prince Qing's mansion has raised us for so many years and taught Zinuo so much. It would really be a bit unreasonable to just leave... Although the Prince Qing's mansion also has its own agenda, but... if I really have to leave, I should do something for them first, so that I can leave with a clear conscience.

I straightened Zinuo's collar and said, "Let's wait and see. Now is not the time."

Zi Nuo nodded obediently and walked out of the room with me. Outside the door, Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao were no longer there. Following my memory from before I fell asleep, I walked to the courtyard gate and saw a servant passing by. I asked where Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao were, but the servant led us to the stable. Weren't those two the ones waiting there with their horses?

Feeling awkward, I didn't talk to them much. I took a horse and headed towards the gate, and Zinuo followed with his horse.

The four of them descended the mountain in silence. It wasn't until later that they discovered a natural lake not far below, now frozen over, its surface shimmering silver—a beautiful sight. If it weren't for the earlier unpleasantness, I might have asked them if Shen Haoyu had told them to hurry back; if not, we could have explored the area. But now, I didn't even want to speak. I understood their misconceptions, and I could empathize. Shen Haoyu had acted erratically today, but after so many years of friendship, how could they so easily doubt me? They didn't even ask me a question before speaking to me with such certainty.

Upon arriving at Prince Qing's residence, no one spoke. It was then that I realized neither Zinuo nor I had eaten breakfast. I asked Zinuo, "Are you hungry?"

Zinuo shook his head and said, "It's alright."

Back at Qiufeng Garden, I dragged Zinuo straight to the kitchen to find something to eat. After filling our stomachs, we went back to our room. On the way, we ran into Yinyan, and after asking around, we learned that Shen Haoyu had accompanied Prince Qing and his wife to the palace early that morning and hadn't returned yet.

I fetched hot water and soaked myself in it, intending to wash away the smell of alcohol. The faint scent of gunpowder on my clothes reminded me of yesterday's spectacular fireworks, and a slight smile crept onto my face, easing my gloom considerably.

After I finished washing up, I went to find Zinuo, only to find that he was also refreshed. I told him that I was going out to check on the Second Prince's residence. Zinuo didn't say anything, only telling me to be careful on the road.

As we walked along, the streets were nearly deserted, a far cry from the bustling days before the Lunar New Year. Seeing that it was still early, we strolled around the streets, and then I began to regret not having asked Zinuo to come along.

Strolling along, I looked up again and found myself outside a courtyard that felt both familiar and strange. Looking at the old locust tree by the gate, I gently pushed open the weathered wooden gate, which creaked open. Stepping inside, I saw a thick layer of snow covering the yard, with small animal footprints on it, but nothing else was visible—nothing of the scorched earth or the gentle warmth of nature. Reaching the well, I saw that the well platform was also covered in a thick layer of snow. The rope for drawing water had long since rotted, and the wooden bucket was cracked and its color unrecognizable, filled with snow. The only intact item was the water vat beside it, which might have contained water, frozen and then covered with snow, completely full… completely full…

After lingering in the old house for a while, I gently closed the courtyard gate and turned to leave.

After the New Year, the Second Prince's wedding date was set: on the 18th day of the second month of the 20th year of Tianxuan, the Second Prince, Shen Tingxuan, would marry Mu Hanyan, the daughter of the Marquis of Qiyun. She was my half-sister, whom I had never met.

People say that Marquis Qiyun's eldest son died young, leaving him with only this one daughter, whom he adores.

When I heard these things, I laughed until tears streamed down my face in front of Zinuo. Although I had no feelings for Qi Yunhou, hearing these things still made me feel sad and ironic.

People never knew that Marquis Qiyun had a son and a daughter who were sold into slavery. How much could Marquis Qiyun love his daughter? If I remember correctly, the only person he had his eye on back then was Mu Shaoting, or was it that after Mu Shaoting died, he only had one daughter to love?

No matter how you look at him, you wouldn't guess he's the kind of person who cares about others.

Zi Nuo looked at me with a worried expression and said, "Sister, if you want to cry, just cry it out."

I shook my head. I wouldn't cry for such a heartless person. I just suddenly missed my mother, whom I never met, and my aunt who died unexpectedly.

Unlike my older sister, I nestled on Zinuo's lap and whispered, "I miss Mother and Aunt."