Sweet Beauty

Chapter 24: bruises

Because the servants and servants are all in the back kitchen and the banquet, in the long corridor, except for the lights that are every few steps, there are few people, only a few attendants on duty pass by.

Ashu came out of the hall, leaving the warm and brilliant atmosphere, supported by Queer and another maid, and walked slowly to the bedroom with unsteady footsteps.

It was slightly cold outside, and the cold wind blew through, which dispelled a lot of her alcoholism, and the chaos in her mind was slowly cleared.

If there seems to be nothing behind him, the sound of footsteps from far away and near to the three clearly enters the ears of the three, Ashu's hands can't help but tighten, wink at Que'er quietly, hold her forehead and say: "Que'er, you first Let me get some hangover soup, I'm tired, take a break." After that, she leaned on the porch steps.

Que'er took her wink and left in a hurry, leaving the other servant girl to help her carefully.

In the silence, the hesitant footsteps at the corner of the promenade finally sounded again, gradually approaching. Ah Shu and the maid exchanged glances, and at the same time turned to look at the figure approaching behind him, and couldn't help but be stunned.

It was a white-skinned, long, jade-like young man, dressed in the crown of a crown prince, who was actually Liu An, the true crown prince, who had just entered the Xin Palace.

He was extraordinarily hesitant, looking shyly and obsessively at the beauty in front of him, with a clear blush on his fair face, his eyes met the beauty, and he moved away hastily, very shy.

"There is a feast in the hall, why is the prince here?"

A Shu originally thought that it would be some drunken servant who behaved recklessly, or someone sent by Zheng Nv who had something to pass to her, but she never thought that it would be Liu An.

Thinking of his unbridled gaze when she was out just now, a burst of discomfort surged in her heart.

As if afraid of her misunderstanding, Liu An quickly took a step back and waved his hands again and again: "Queen—I, I'm just worried about you..." As he spoke, he hesitated, but when he looked up and saw her guarded and suspicious appearance, his heart was slightly lowered. Thorn, blurted out, "Zhao Ji, you... don't you remember me?"

Ashu became more and more puzzled. She raised her eyes and carefully examined the young man who was only slightly older than her. She shook her head hesitantly: "I really have no impression. Is the prince wrong?"

A flash of disappointment flashed on Liu An's face, and then he said firmly: "I didn't admit the wrong person, I-I'm Awa."

A water chestnut?

Ah Shu frowned and thought for a long time, and finally remembered the shadow of a vague little boy: "Prince—is the grandson of Xu Wei's mansion?"

The Zhao family is one of the most prestigious families in Handan, and they have come to be friendly with the governor of Zhao County. When she was young, her father often brought her and her elder brother to the county governor's house to visit. There was once a county governor surnamed Xu, whose wife was ill before her death, and her married daughter once took her son back to her parents' home to visit Shiji.

She was only seven or eight years old at the time, and when she visited the county governor's mansion, she had been a playmate with the boy. That shy and handsome boy seemed to be called Ai.

Seeing her remember, Liu An's shy face was filled with joy, and he nodded again and again: "My grandfather is Xu Pu! It's been a long time, you don't remember, it's normal. It's just me, I never forget, Shu, As soon as I saw you, I recognized you."

Due to his frailty when he was young, he lived in the palace for a long time, and there were only a handful of well-known playmates. The pink and jade-carved female doll in Handan was one of them. When she laughed, there was a gully on her cheek. Although she only got along for a few days, she taught him to remember it for nearly ten years.

Ah Shu never thought that it was an old friend, and when she didn't know how to answer, she heard a familiar voice from Liu Yu at the end of the corridor: "The prince is not eating and drinking at the banquet, so he is taking a break here."

When he spoke, his tone was still gentle, and when he was walking closer in the leisurely court, A Shu could clearly see a deep displeasure in his dark eyes.

Queer quietly stuck out her tongue, apparently not expecting that the one who was hiding in the dark and followed all the way was actually Prince Zhending. Just now, Ashu ordered her to leave quietly and called some servants to come, just in case, but she didn't want to, this time, she met Liu Yu directly.

Liu An was a little embarrassed, but he didn't want to make A Shu embarrassed, so he bowed to Liu Yu and said, "It turns out that it was King Xiao, who was just talking to the queen about the childhood. It turns out that An and the queen are old and old many years ago."

old? Liu Yu raised his eyebrows, and was extremely unhappy in his heart, but he couldn't bear it. He glanced at A Shu unpredictably, and smiled more and more politely: "I see. But this is not the time to reminisce, and your father asked about you just now. , let's go back quickly." After that, he made a gesture of invitation.

Knowing that he had overstepped, Liu An didn't force him to stay. He gave Ashu a nod, then turned and walked away, looking extremely cheerful.

There were only a few people left in the corridor. Ashu looked at Liu Yu's handsome face, who was still smiling but said nothing. She felt that he was about to explode. "Thank you for your concern, my concubine, so I will go back to my room to rest first."

Liu Yu looked up and saw the bright moon hanging high in the sky, only to feel his anger but nowhere to vent. He found Liu An missing at a glance, and he was suspicious. He couldn't help but find an excuse to go out and search. Sure enough, he saw him talking to Zhao Ji here.

He was very annoyed, so he strode closer without saying a word, and without waiting for anyone to react, he stretched out his arms and hugged Ashu, ignoring her exclamation, and walked quickly to the bedroom.

"You're drunk, and you probably won't be able to go back. Why don't I help you, so it's faster." He looked ahead without looking down at her, and when he spoke, there was a bit of gnashing of teeth.

Because Ashu turned over, she couldn't find her balance for a while, so she quickly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in his arms before she stabilized a little.

When he stepped into the bedroom and walked to the edge of the bed, he put her down, but he still didn't back away. He put his hands on her sides, gradually approaching, and the tip of his nose was only half an inch away from touching her.

The two looked at each other, breathed intertwined, and remained silent for a long time.

"Do you think I should marry Zheng's daughter?"

Liu Xiu endured for a while, and finally asked. He has always been in the palace of Fangcai, and she has always been brooding about the fact that Zheng Nv temporarily resided in the Xin Palace.

Even if the two of them didn't really sympathize with each other, respect each other like guests, and have strong feelings for each other, he didn't want to see her who really didn't care about marrying someone else.

Ah Shu stared at his cheeks that were close at hand, trying her best to brush away the chaos in her mind, so as not to let herself fall into those deep eyes.

After a long while, she said timidly: "Zheng Ji is from a famous family, and there are 100,000 soldiers and horses behind him. The king should marry him." She really couldn't figure it out. Marrying a Zheng Donglan would have all the benefits and no harm. Where is he? Need to hesitate? It's even more unreasonable to ask her about this. She is the queen. As long as he doesn't mention divorce, she will not dare to interfere with him in accepting new people.

But at the moment, there was no joy at all, as if he was very dissatisfied with her answer.

"But... but it depends on Your Majesty's will." She hurriedly shrank her neck and added.

She really can't guess, and then think of the previous life, he married Zheng Nv as his wife, but he was newly married, so he sent her back to Zhen Ding. Could it be that... he doesn't despise Zheng Nv's appearance?

Thinking about it this way, she felt more and more reasonable.

She didn't dare to brag about her beauty, but she knew a thing or two about her beauty. How could an ordinary man be married for such a long time and endure not to touch a single point? But Liu Xiu, who used to be a womanizer, was of early marriageable age, and still homeless, and only occasionally showed a slight complacent towards her young and beautiful wife...

She felt more and more reasonable. Sure enough, all men eat sex, and Liu Xiu is no exception.

Thinking like this, her eyes gradually no longer softened, but simply looked back.

With a stern face, Liu Xiu slowly loosened the shackles of her hands, stood up and looked down at her.

What a heartless woman. Probably her past reverence for him, along with the occasional half-point dependence, was also a falsification.

He looked away, his chest sullen, unwilling to stay any longer, and turned to leave. Walking to the door, she felt unwilling and looked back with annoyed eyes, only to see that she was still sitting beside the bed in confusion and doubts. go.

When he returned to the hall again, everything seemed to have changed. The singing, dancing and eating made him less interested, and even the courtesies and greetings with Liu Yanshou and Zheng Xu were boring.

When the banquet was over, Liu Yanshou, Liu An, and Zheng Xu returned to the inn. Everyone dispersed, and Liu Xiu lingered outside for a while, until the moon was in the middle of the sky, and everything was silent, before he hesitated to return to the house.

But in the room, only a faint candle was lit, and there was no one on the couch where the little girl used to sit.

He frowned and stepped in, only to hear the maid whisper: "The queen is drunk and has already gone to sleep first."

It was not waiting for him.

Thinking of Zhao Ji's helpless appearance at the banquet, Liu Yao's heart became hot again, the alcohol was rising, and she fled into the bathroom in embarrassment.

Thinking about it carefully, no one can match Zhao Ji's appearance. This Zheng female, if compared with ordinary females, is probably considered excellent, but Zhao Ji is present, but she is overshadowed.

No wonder she was reckless. With such beauty, if it wasn't for the daughter of the Queen Mother, he would have surrendered long ago.

He frowned and buried himself deep in the tub, as if to drive the lustrous color out of his mind.

But she was very cunning, turning into a shadow that could not be grasped or thrown away, flirting with her from time to time, and slipped away in a blink of an eye.

He became more and more upset, suddenly stood up from the water, put on his clothes and went out, ignoring that he was standing beside the bed soaked wet, and stared at the woman on the bed through the dim light.

The woman was lying on her back unconsciously, her eyes closed and she slept soundly. The soft line of her lower jaw was especially beautiful because of the posture of lying on her back. It was connected to the neck and gradually extended into the clothes covered.

Thinking of the passing eyes of Liu An in the hall just now, and the old remarks of the two of them on the corridor, Liu Ruo was very angry.

His heart was beating like a drum, his eyes were red, and even the fist in his sleeve was clenched, as if something was about to burst out.

That was his wife, the wife who was remarried in an upright manner. In the eyes of others, their relationship between husband and wife was very strong and could be regarded as a model.

Who would have thought that he was so aggrieved inside? In the same bed every day, his husband has never crossed the line. But today, she was looked at so covetedly by an outsider.

Unwillingness and resentment suddenly rose, he gnashed his teeth and approached, shaking his hands, quietly pulled away the jacket that covered her neck, revealing a piece of lustrous skin.

He felt dizzy for a while, got a little closer, his breath was unsteady, he approached with a slight trembling, and touched his lips.

The piece of condensed fat was warm and soft, silky as silk, it hooked him endlessly, and he was reluctant to let go.

Probably feeling unwell in her sleep, Ah Shu frowned and moved her lips.

Liu Yu was so startled that she suddenly let go and jumped up, panting heavily and taking three steps back, she was relieved when she saw that her eyes were still closed and she had not woken up.

But then, annoyance followed. It is clearly his own wife, how can he be a little bit close, and he must be as guilty as a thief?

The water all over his body had not yet dried, and it tickled to the ground, making a clear sound, and the bed had just collapsed, and it must have been wet by him. Thinking of her unconcerned attitude, he only felt embarrassed, turned his head and left as if to flee, went straight to the study, and dared not come back again.

There is probably no other man in the world who is more useless than him.

On the second day, Ah Shu rarely slept until she woke up naturally, until it was time to eat.

She stretched her limbs and felt comfortable all over her body. She glanced at the bed, and there was no trace on the side. Then she asked Queer, "The king didn't return last night?"

"No no, the king came back, but he left after taking a shower." Queer was afraid that A Shu would misunderstand, so he quickly said, "The king is staying in the study, and there is no one else by his side."

This "other person" naturally refers to the woman Zheng who lives temporarily.

Ah Shu covered her lips and chuckled, leaning lazily on the edge of the couch, letting Que'er comb her hair and bun for her. Naturally, she would not suspect that Liu Xiu would have a private meeting with Zheng Nv. Even if the marriage was decided last night, he would definitely not do anything wrong with him, and would only be more courteous.

It's just that last night's banquet must have been very tired, and I don't know what other important things will make him stay in the study all night.

She was thinking wildly, but she heard Que'er suddenly "Oops" and stared at her neck with wide eyes, surprised and puzzled: "What is this? Could it be bitten by a poisonous insect? No more mosquitoes!"

When Ah Shu heard the words, she quickly opened the makeup, took out the bronze mirror and approached, but saw a bruise on the right side of the neck, at the collarbone, blue and purple, shocking.

She is not unfamiliar with the trace, if it is not a mosquito bite, it should be - the lips and teeth are sucking and biting...

She suddenly recalled that in her sleep yesterday, she had felt a sense of discomfort in a trance. Could it be... is it Liu Xiong?

Her cheeks were suddenly hot, and her neck quickly turned red. She hurriedly threw the bronze mirror back into her makeup and didn't look any further.

Seeing her abnormality, Queer carefully observed and asked, "Ashu, are you feverish?"

Embarrassed and annoyed, Ah Shu waved her hands again and again: "No, no, maybe last night's drinking hasn't passed, and I'm a little overwhelmed."

Why is this man like this? As a wife, she also knows the responsibility of human relations. If he really wants it, will she refuse it?

Queer wanted to fetch physalis for her to drink to hangover, but she heard the maid outside say: "Queen, Zheng Jizhi."

Ah Shu hurriedly tightened her collar to cover the bruises, adjusted her appearance a little, and then stepped out.

Zheng Donglan had already entered, and as soon as she saw her, she saluted and greeted her with a very respectful attitude.

"The concubine didn't know that the queen was not good at drinking yesterday, so she made a toast suddenly, and asked the queen to forgive her sins. I wonder if the queen is doing well today?"

Ah Shu asked her to sit on the couch with her. Hearing this, she nodded slightly and said, "It's all right. I don't blame you for this, it's just that I can't drink."

At that time, everyone was good at drinking, and she was almost non-alcoholic like her. The amount of wine she drank when she was newly married was already the limit. I drank it with everyone last night, and then I drank it with Zheng Nv. This is a little more. Speaking out, this is considered a shameful thing, and when I mention it at this time, she becomes thinner and thinner.

Zheng Donglan seemed to have something to say. After chatting with her a few words about the customs and customs of Zhao Jun, she looked up at her from time to time, as if she was guessing what she was like.

Although Ashu is married as a queen, she is actually a few months younger than the Zheng woman, and she is also a royal daughter. The Zheng woman is so respectful and cautious, making her a little uncomfortable, so she said: "Ji Ruo If you have something to say, say it directly."

Zheng Donglan didn't expect her to be so straightforward, and her face turned red. After all, it's still her daughter's house, and it's really hard to talk about her marriage.

However, thinking of her father Zheng Xu's instructions last night, and the figure in her heart that was hard to erase since she saw it, she plucked up her courage, straightened her back, bowed her head and said, "Alan is willing to set up a hundred thousand soldiers and horses. For the dowry, marry the king as a concubine, and ask the queen to fulfill her."

Ah Shu was stunned, looking at the submissive woman in front of her with mixed feelings.

Zheng Nv is the daughter of the Weng Lord and the Prime Minister of the country. She is also of noble birth. I think she has grown up like a star holding the moon since she was a child, but now she has put her attitude so low that she came to beg her and allowed her to become a concubine.

She couldn't bear it, thinking that it was Liu Xiu's play of the piano and the melody last night, which made them all think that only if she nodded in agreement, Liu Xiu would marry again.

But they were all wrong. Marrying or not marrying has never had anything to do with her.

"Ji doesn't have to be like this. Your Majesty accepts new people. How can I not allow it? It's not up to me to complete this matter or not, it all depends on Your Majesty's will."

"But—the king treats the queen so well, the concubine is so presumptuous, doesn't the queen care about this matter at all?" Zheng Donglan suddenly raised her head, surprised, she couldn't believe that she would agree so easily. If it were her, she would have such love My husband, I feel that he will not give in easily.

A Shu's eyes were dazed for a moment, a wry smile overflowed from the corner of her lips, she only shook her head, and said nothing.

How good does Liu Xiu treat her? I'm afraid it's just a use. He has ambition, has a city government, can endure the humiliation for a while, and will become a name for the rest of his life. At that time, she will no longer be of use value. He only hopes that he can open up the net, give her dignity, and let her go home. It is a blessing.

Zheng Donglan got the promise, and she was a little settled. Seeing that she didn't want to say any more, she stayed for a while, got up and retired.

Before going out, A Shu suddenly called out, "Zheng Ji came here today, but who did you hear?"

Zheng Donglan didn't know why she asked this question, so she answered truthfully: "No one else specifically told me, it's just that I visited Madam Fan with Ah Zhao this morning. Madam asked the concubine if she wanted to marry the king, and later mentioned that the king loved the queen very much, so the concubine took the liberty of visiting. , is there something wrong?"

Ah Shu smiled and waved her hand: "There's nothing wrong with that."

In the evening, when Liu Yu returned, he pretended to be solemn and walked back to the house with heavy steps, as if he was very cold.

But only he himself knew that the rapid beating of his heart was really hard to restrain. Just thinking of his own behavior of stealing incense and jade yesterday, he was very annoyed.

Everyone in the room, from Ah Shu to the maids, when they saw his appearance, they couldn't help but stern their faces. No one dared to speak, and only acted silently.

Ah Shu approached as usual, undressed him, raised his hand, but taught him to see the small bruise on the side of his neck at a glance. He was stunned for a while, remembering the charming moment last night, and then he remembered that it was actually a trace left by himself.

But he remembered that he was only a little bit of water, how could he have such a mottled mark?

The annoyance in his heart became more and more intense, his ears flushed red, and he became more and more suspicious that she already knew what she was doing.

He couldn't stay in this room any longer, and he took a shower in a hurry, so he went to the study.

Ah Shu sent people to visit twice, but no longer waited, she read the scrolls and practiced calligraphy for a while in the room, and then she washed herself and went to bed.

But in the palace on the west side, someone was moved.

Liu Zhao ordered people to make a few kinds of cakes that can satisfy the stomach and warm soup, put them in the food box, and led Zheng Donglan straight to the study. After sending back the maid, he carefully knocked on the door and said, "Brother, can you ask me? Inside? I'll bring you some food."

Zheng Donglan didn't say anything at her signal. Liu Yu was reading the brochure in his hand carefully. Hearing the words, he raised his voice and ordered him to enter.

Liu Zhao stuffed the food box into Zheng Donglan's hands, and without saying a word, pushed her into the door, but he only stayed outside.

Zheng Donglan didn't expect her to be like this. She was shy for a while and stood by the door with the food box, and she didn't dare to enter again.

Liu Zhao watched anxiously outside, gritted his teeth, stretched out his hand and pushed her hard, then turned his head and ran away.

Zheng Donglan was pushed to the point of being unsteady, staggered a few steps, and made an embarrassing noise.

"Why are you so careless—" Liu Jiu raised her head when she heard the sound, but seeing that the person who came was not her sister, but Zheng's daughter, she couldn't help but pause again.

Zheng Nv's cheeks were smeared, her lips were a little crimson, she was wearing a fairy dress, and she was betrothed to Tingting.

It must be Ah Zhao's idea.

His face was unpleasant, but it was difficult to attack Zheng Donglan, so he motioned her to put down the food box, and said with a slow expression: "Thank you Zheng Ji for your kindness, it's not early, Ji should come back earlier."

After saying that, he lowered his head to read the booklet again, and didn't look at her again.

It's so invisible again.

Zheng Donglan's shyness and enthusiasm only felt that most of it was extinguished, and there was a lot of embarrassment in her heart. She bit her lip and cried for a while, and couldn't help saying: "Your Majesty, why are you treating me so coldly?"

She asked herself that although she was not as beautiful as Zhao Ji, she was also dignified and beautiful.

Liu Yu felt impatient in her heart, but she still expressed pity and said to her gently: "I only have the queen in my heart. If you have to marry again after a year of marriage, the queen will definitely be sad."

She thought that Zheng Donglan should retreat in spite of the difficulties, but unexpectedly, hope suddenly appeared in her eyes, Yin Yin replied: "If this is the case, the king needn't worry about it. The queen herself said today that she will never interfere in this matter."

Hearing this, Liu Yu's expression suddenly turned cold. He didn't even read the booklet.

The author has something to say: ah ah two-in-one update!

Feel like I've been hollowed out!

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