Jiang Suzhou rested at Xu Du's place purely because he was exhausted.
He had been busy at the Ministry of Rites, and after he came back, he and Xu Du went back and forth to test each other, so he didn't eat much for dinner.
After dinner, he prepared to leave. As soon as he stood up, he suddenly felt the world spinning around him, causing him to almost fall to the ground.
Xu Du supported him.
"Your Highness's body is weak. You mustn't overwork yourself," Xu Du said.
Jiang Suzhou steadied himself and took a few deep breaths before he recovered slightly. He supported himself with one hand on the table and weakly waved his hand, "The Ministry of Rites is busy every day for the Qianqiu Banquet."
Xu Du helped him to sit down on the couch. He turned around and lit a calming incense, saying, "Yes, every year at this time, the court is very busy. Should I send someone to invite a doctor to take a look at you?"
Jiang Suzhou shook his head.
"No need," he said. "Isn't it tiring to go back and forth?"
Xu Du nodded, "That's true. Then I'll ask someone to make a calming soup for Your Highness. Why don't you rest here today? "
His suggestion wasn't without reason. After all, the backyard was far from Anyin Hall, and there was a large garden in the middle. Jiang Suzhou had to take a carriage everywhere he went. The carriage couldn't travel in the garden, so he had to take a detour.
Just the bumpy journey alone was tiring enough.
Jiang Suzhou was tempted, but he suddenly thought of something and asked hesitantly, "Do you have an extra bed in your room?"
Xu Du smiled faintly, "Your Highness, don't worry. There's a green screen cabinet in the inner room. Changyun usually sleeps there when she comes here."
Hearing that both of them had beds to sleep on, Jiang Suzhou nodded in relief.
As long as there was a bed to lie on, who cared where he slept?
Thus, that night, he slept in Xu Du's room.
—
Jiang Suizhou didn't sleep well that night.
Perhaps the smell of ink in the room was too faint, or perhaps the bed Xu Du was used to sleeping on was too hard. In short, Jiang Suzhou always felt that something was missing in the room.
He had been dreaming all night, and when he woke up in the morning, he felt as if he had stepped on cotton, and his eyes were a little blue.
There was also a court meeting today.
When Jiang Suzhou woke up early in the morning, he felt that his head was heavy and his feet were light. His mind was in a mess.
He was a little annoyed. If only she hadn't slacked off last night and returned to her own courtyard to sleep.
Meng Qianshan was waiting outside the courtyard early in the morning.
The Meng Qianshan did not give him a court robe because he had to pass through the front courtyard to leave the fu.After having breakfast at Xu Du's place in Jiang Suzhou, he went back to Anyin Store.
When he entered, there was a tall and straight figure sitting at the table in the main hall.
The dim sunlight elongated his shadow, which fell on the ink bamboo painting hanging in front of the hall. It was like a sharp blade cutting into the depths of the bamboo forest.
It was Huo Wujiu eating breakfast.
Jiang Suzhou stepped over the threshold and saw Huo Wujiu eating by himself. He sat up straight and didn't seem to have any intention of paying attention to him.
Jiang Suzhou was very familiar with this kind of cold treatment. It was so familiar that it was a bit intimate. It made his restlessness from not sleeping well last night dissipate by a bit.
He didn't argue with Huo Wujiu, nor did he rush to greet him. He just acted as if he didn't see him. With Meng Qianshan supporting him, he walked around Huo Wujiu and went into the inner room to change his clothes.
As he walked, Meng Qianshan complained endlessly.
"Your Highness, did you serve Madam Xu well yesterday?This servant saw that Your Highness didn't look too good … "
Jiang Suzhou heard this and interrupted him.
"You talk too much," he said.
Meng Qianshan repeatedly agreed.
Jiang Suzhou paused, then said, "The paper on the window in Xu Du's room seems to be a bit old. In a moment, send someone to take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be changed."
The paper on the window was indeed not very good. It had been leaking air all night. Although other people didn't feel it, Jiang Suzhou was deeply affected. When he woke up early in the morning, he felt that his nose was stuffy.
Meng Qianshan repeatedly agreed.
As the two talked, they went into the inner room.
Jiang Suzhou didn't see that the moment he walked around the screen, Huo Wujiu raised his head and frowned as he looked at his back.
His footsteps were light and his eyes were dark. It was obvious that he was tired.
Normally, even if he slept on the bed for an entire night, he would never show such fatigue.
What other reason could there be for him to be so tired after just one night?
Huo Wujiu inexplicably felt that the chopsticks in his hand didn't fit well. No matter how hard he tried to pick up the food, he couldn't help but use a bit more strength.
He tried to focus on the food on the plate, but it didn't work.
He kept thinking about Jiang Suzhou's appearance just now. It was clearly just a glance, but it was deeply imprinted in his mind. He couldn't help but wonder what Jiang Suzhou did last night.
The chopsticks in Huo Wujiu's hands seemed to be sharpened. He was able to pick up the beef with both tendons and bones in just two bites.
But he just couldn't pick it up.
He was a bit annoyed and put the chopsticks down on the table.
It must be because he didn't sleep well last night that he was in such a bad mood this morning and started thinking nonsense.
After all, he had never suffered from insomnia in the past. Whether it was in the Yangguan Pass where the wind howled like wolves or outside the Great Wall where ice and snow covered his body, he could always sleep peacefully.
But here, he couldn't fall asleep just because there was one less person at night.
… It was all that Imperial Prince Jing's fault.
He was clearly a sickly person. He couldn't even walk a few steps by himself. Instead of going back to his room to rest, he had the energy to cause trouble in his concubine's room.
He even said that he liked her and didn't have the heart to do it. He seemed to have a lot of compassion for the other people in the rear courtyard. After he was done, he even thought about changing the window paper for them.
His words were glib, but his mouth was full of nonsense.
This Imperial Prince Jing really wasn't a good person.
— —
Jiang Suzhou changed into his court attire early in the morning and hurriedly left.
When court officials entered the palace, they were never allowed to bring along attendants. Meng Qianshan walked Jiang Suzhou out of the estate and returned to Anyin Hall to serve that expressionless "favored concubine" who was sitting upright.
Normally, this master was very quiet and did everything by himself. He was very easy to serve. But today … he felt that something wasn't right.
As for what was wrong? Meng Qianshan couldn't say.
Normally, this master didn't like to talk. Today, he didn't say a word. Normally, he only liked to sit in the corner and read. Today was no different than usual.
But Meng Qianshan felt that … the atmosphere in the room was particularly low today.
This made him feel uncomfortable and suffocated. He was like a flying insect that couldn't find its way out and kept circling around the room.
After weighing the pros and cons, Meng Qianshan thought that although Madam Huo didn't like the Imperial Prince and hadn't lost her temper since yesterday, there was no harm in pleasing this master and making him happy.
With this thought, Meng Qianshan carefully moved to Huo Wujiu's side and leaned forward.
"Master, the weather is just right today. Why don't this servant accompany you to walk around the garden?"
Sun Yuan, who was serving Huo Wujiu, heard this and raised his head to look outside. He saw that the sky outside the window was gray and overcast.
Lin 'an had a lot of rain in spring. Recently, it had been cloudy for days. How could the weather be just right today?
He looked down and saw Huo Wujiu reading a book without saying a word.
Meng Qianshan knew that as long as this master didn't refuse, it meant that they could do whatever they wanted.
Meng Qianshan felt as if he had received an imperial edict. He was overjoyed and quickly glanced at Sun Yuan, "Master wants to walk around the garden. Why aren't you moving faster?"
Sun Yuan hurriedly pushed the wheelchair and followed Meng Qianshan out of the courtyard.
The layout of Prince Jing's Estate was exquisite. Anyin Hall was located in the best location in the estate. After leaving the courtyard, they turned south and entered the estate's garden.
The original owner of this garden was rich and fastidious. He had arranged eighteen scenic spots in the garden. Every spot had its own wonderful scenery.
Meng Qianshan had served here for three years. He could walk around the garden with his eyes closed. Now, he had the intention of currying favor with Huo Wujiu, so everywhere he went, he spoke without stopping and vividly described the scene to the point that it was clear and logical.
However, Huo Wujiu didn't support him.
He sat in the wheelchair with a cold expression and didn't respond at all. He was like a deaf person who couldn't hear anything.
Sun Yuan, who was pushing the wheelchair, listened with great interest. Wherever Meng Qianshan pointed, he would follow. Sometimes, when he saw something wonderful, he couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder. In exchange, Meng Qianshan would glare at him like daggers.
However, he had always been rough and didn't notice Meng Qianshan's displeasure. He just followed and looked at the scenery.
Just like that, they slowly walked through the garden until they crossed a stone bridge and entered a bamboo forest.
"Madam, look. That's our estate's' Quiet Yellow Springs'!That's not just a bamboo forest. When we cross the bridge and enter the forest, we'll see … "
However, Meng Qianshan's voice suddenly stopped.
Sun Yuan didn't understand and hurriedly followed his gaze.
He saw that in the bamboo forest, there was a stream and a winding path leading to a secluded place. Under a hundred bamboo poles, there was an open-air chessboard. The chessboard was carved from stone and was very elegant.
At this moment, there were two people sitting on the chessboard.
One was dressed in red, the other in green. They were playing chess in the forest.
Meng Qianshan was so angry that he wanted to curse his ancestor. He wanted to slap his own face. He slammed on the brakes and raised his hand to grab Sun Yuan's shoulder, forcing him to turn around on the narrow and exquisite stone bridge.
"… This servant remembered wrongly! It's just a shabby bamboo forest. There's nothing to see. There's a dead end ahead. Quickly turn around. We'll go to the next place … "
However, at this moment, the ancestor on the wheelchair who had been silent all this time spoke.
"Isn't it 'Listening to the Springs'?" he asked. "Why turn around? Let's continue."
That deep and cold voice seemed to be squeezed out from the gap between his lips.
Meng Qianshan wanted to kneel down in front of him.
You ignored this servant the whole way. So it turns out that you were listening to this servant!
He hurriedly bowed, wanting to persuade this ancestor not to go to 'Listening to the Springs'. However, the moment he bowed, Huo Wujiu's side profile came into his view.
He saw that pair of ink-black eyes, cold and sharp. It was completely different from the indifference and lack of interest from before. Instead, it was as sharp as an eagle's, looking straight ahead.
For a moment, Meng Qianshan felt that this person was on the battlefield, with thousands of soldiers and horses behind him. His eyes were like torches, and the next moment, he would personally take the head of the bandit leader.
Meng Qianshan followed his gaze.
… This ancestor was looking at Xu Du.