amaotonovel Chapter 325: Once Again
Chapter 325: Once Again
Chapter 325: Once Again
Chapter 325
Luo Shuiyao had no time to care about anything else at this moment, half leaning in his arms. After the feeling of weakness slowly subsided, after a while, she felt that the dizziness was no longer so strong, and then she struggled to get up from his arms.
Ye Yunzhou didn't stop her, gently stroking her shoulders and helping her to stand. Seeing her pale face, he was filled with worry, but he also knew that now was not the time to worry about this matter. He could only purse his lips and say no more, but his eyes remained firmly fixed on her, never moving away for a moment.
Luo Shuiyao stepped forward, staring intently at Emperor Yuanzhen's expression, then reached out and placed her hand on his wrist, carefully feeling his pulse. After repeating the touch for a moment, she withdrew her hand.
The two of them sat in silence, half a cup of tea slipping by. During this time, Luo Shuiyao's complexion gradually improved, no longer as pale as before. Noticing the slight tremor in Emperor Yuanzhen's eyebrows, Luo Shuiyao knew she was about to awaken, so she reached up and slowly removed the silver needles from her body one by one.
When the last silver needle was withdrawn, Emperor Yuanzhen opened his eyes. He looked down at his body and found that there were no silver needles. He looked at Luo Shuiyao with doubt and asked, "Miss Luo, is the treatment completed today?"
Seeing Emperor Yuanzhen awake, Luo Shuiyao placed the silver needle in the box on the table. Hearing the question, she turned around, nodded, and said, "I will go and call Eunuch Su to bring in the medicine. Once Your Majesty drinks it, today's treatment will be complete. Your Majesty can then change clothes and rest. I will return to treat Your Majesty tomorrow."
Emperor Yuanzhen nodded slightly, indicating understanding. Luo Shuiyao, clutching the silver needle, pushed open the door and walked out. Eunuch Su had already been waiting at the door, anxiously holding a bowl of medicine he had quickly prepared. Hearing the noise, he immediately stepped forward and asked with concern, "Miss Luo, is His Majesty alright?"
Luo Shuiyao smiled and nodded in response: "Eunuch Su, you have worked hard. Please take the medicine in and let His Majesty drink it. Today's treatment will be completed."
"It's not hard, it's not hard. This is what I should do. I'm really troubling you, Miss Luo. I'll go in and call Master Ye out. Have him take you out of the palace to rest."
Luo Shuiyao nodded. Although she hadn't specifically checked the time, after all this trouble, she knew it must be very late. But Ye Yunzhou still hadn't come out. Helplessly, she stood in the hall, scanning the surroundings, waiting quietly. After another half a minute, there was a sound from the door. She subconsciously turned around and saw Ye Yunzhou coming out.
The two of them locked eyes. Ye Yunzhou quickened his pace and approached her, saying, "I've just asked His Majesty for permission to use a sedan chair to carry us out of the palace. You must be exhausted after this journey. Let's go back now."
Luo Shuiyao was a little surprised, but she didn't ask any more questions. Ye Yunzhou seemed to see her confusion and pointed at her cheek. Luo Shuiyao was puzzled and reached out to touch her cheek, but she didn't feel anything unusual. She withdrew her hand with a full heart of doubt.
Ye Yunzhou saw it, but did not explain. He just walked forward.
Seeing this, Luo Shuiyao silently followed Ye Yunzhou out of the palace. Outside, a sedan chair was already waiting. The two climbed aboard, and the palace attendants lifted it steadily, leading them out of the palace. Perhaps because they were surrounded by so many people, conversation was inconvenient, so the two remained silent throughout the journey. However, the journey felt much faster than the way here.
They soon arrived at the palace gate. The two of them disembarked from the sedan chair. Ye Yunzhou stood in front of Luo Shuiyao and led her out. The surrounding guards cast curious glances, but there was no reason to approach to investigate. Ye Yunzhou's carriage was already waiting at the palace gate. After helping Luo Shuiyao into the carriage, Ye Yunzhou followed suit.
The driver raised his whip and flicked it gently, and the carriage slowly moved forward. After a long while, Luo Shuiyao finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
Ye Yunzhou slowly opened his half-closed eyes, his gaze falling on the black and white marks on her face. He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, chuckling softly, "Have you forgotten that you have black powder on your face?"
Luo Shuiyao stiffened at the words and quickly raised her hand to wipe her face vigorously. Sure enough, a hint of black ash stained her hand. She recalled how Ye Yunzhou had wiped her face when she'd been sweating, and seeing him now, unable to contain his laughter, a sudden realization dawned on her. She finally understood why he'd specifically requested the emperor grant her a sedan chair, and why he'd stood in front of her the entire way. She knew, without even looking, how strange her face must have looked. She couldn't help but secretly admire Eunuch Su and Emperor Yuanzhen, men who'd seen the world. Seeing her like this, they didn't even betray the slightest hint of surprise.
After she finished her inner sigh, she ignored the looks from the other side, reached into her sleeve, pulled out a handkerchief, and began to wipe her face. After wiping her face completely, she wanted to take the handkerchief back, but she was afraid that the black dust on her face would not be wiped away completely, so she raised her face and asked, "Is there still black dust on my face?"
Ye Yunzhou did not answer her. His eyes fell on her face as she approached him. He took the handkerchief from her hand and gently and carefully wiped away the black marks on her face that had not yet been wiped off.
This posture brought the two of them closer than ever. Luo Shuiyao could clearly see her reflection in Ye Yunzhou's eyes, and the sound of each other's breathing was audible. She pursed her lips, feeling a surge of discomfort. Subconsciously, she tried to stand up and distance herself, but Ye Yunzhou gently embraced her. "Don't move. This part hasn't been wiped off yet," he whispered, his tone filled with irresistible tenderness.
"No need, I can do it myself." Luo Shuiyao felt more and more uncomfortable, her cheeks flushed, she turned her head slightly and avoided his outstretched hand.
Ye Yunzhou's hand froze in mid-air, his good mood instantly vanishing, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He wasn't angry with her, but just a little annoyed with his own actions. He should have been more measured, so why would he take his anger out on her? But he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He only heard him say softly, "Be good, I'll clean it up for you and won't touch you again."
Luo Shuiyao heard the disappointment in his tone and felt a little annoyed, blaming herself for reacting so strongly. But it seemed as if she was on guard against what he might do to her. She pursed her lips, her heart conflicted. Ultimately, she hesitantly turned her face to the side, slightly closing her eyes, and let him gently wipe away the remaining traces on her face.
"Alright." Ye Yunzhou quickly wiped her clean after the incident. Luo Shuiyao opened her eyes and glanced at him, then stood up and tried to sit back down.
At this moment, the driver of the carriage outside, perhaps because of the darkness, failed to see the uneven spots on the road, and in a moment of carelessness, the wheel fell into a pothole. The carriage suddenly shook, and the body of the carriage shook continuously.
Luo Shuiyao lost her balance for a moment, stumbled, and fell back to her original position. Seeing this, Ye Yunzhou subconsciously reached out to protect her, but in a panic, the hand he reached out suddenly embraced her.
Luo Shuiyao was half-held in his arms, a trace of silence on her face, and she looked at him with a hint of suspicion. This scene was too familiar. She had experienced the same thing shortly after arriving in the capital. She had never expected that the same thing would happen again.
Ye Yunzhou felt a little awkward for a moment, not because of the current situation, but because the scene reminded him of the past. He had rarely found himself in such an embarrassing situation, and Luo Shuiyao was the one who had first made him experience that feeling. The memory was, after all, particularly profound.
He lowered his eyes and saw Luo Shuiyao looking at him suspiciously. Ye Yunzhou pursed his lips. Although he hadn't made any deliberate arrangements, for some reason, he still felt a little guilty and explained, "I didn't tell them to do this. It was really just an accident."
It would have been fine if he didn't explain, but this explanation only made Luo Shuiyao even more suspicious. "You didn't do it, so why are you feeling guilty?" Luo Shuiyao asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ye Yunzhou froze, not knowing how to respond. Luo Shuiyao ignored him, waving his hand away. She stood up and sat across from him, turning away and not looking at him anymore.
After this incident, the relationship between the two, which had finally eased, returned to its previous somewhat tense state. Luo Shuiyao knew that Ye Yunzhou was aloof and principled, and would definitely not deliberately arrange such a thing. When she said that he was guilty, she only asked because she saw the evasiveness in his eyes.
Seeing Ye Yunzhou's silence, she had no intention of actively starting a conversation. She had already made up her mind; since they had decided not to have any more disputes, she didn't want to give them another chance to thaw. At that moment, the atmosphere in the carriage was somewhat dull, with only the sound of wheels rolling on the road.
When the carriage slowly stopped, Luo Shuiyao didn't even glance at Ye Yunzhou. She simply reached out and pushed open the door, lifted the curtain, and easily jumped out of the carriage. Ye Yunzhou just watched her every move quietly, silent and silent, and did not speak to stop her. After watching her walk into the yard for a long time, Ye Yunzhou raised his hand and waved, signaling the driver to drive back.
After hearing the sound of the carriage outside gradually fade away, Luo Shuiyao turned around and whispered to Chun Xing to go back and rest. It turned out that Chun Xing was worried because she had not returned so late, so she had been guarding the door. When she heard the noise, she hurriedly opened the door for her.
By this time, the sky was already turning pale, and the hazy light was chilly. Luo Shuiyao walked back to the house with tired steps. She took off her clothes casually, not even bothering to wash up, and fell headfirst onto the bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
She had a dreamless night, perhaps because she was too tired last night, Luo Shuiyao slept until noon, which was rare.
When she left the room, she saw that Aunt Zhang and Chun Xing had already prepared the meal. After a few days of rest, Aunt Zhang's injuries had mostly healed, and now she could move around. She didn't want to be idle, so she took the time to tidy up the corners of the yard. Seeing Luo Shuiyao coming out, she hurriedly called out, "Miss, the meal is warm for you. Please go to the dining hall first and I'll bring it to you."
Nanny Zhang didn't know what Luo Shuiyao had done. Although Chun Xing knew that Ye Yunzhou had taken her away, she didn't tell Nanny Zhang. Nanny Zhang wasn't a talkative person, so she didn't ask too many questions. But she also knew that the young lady had returned home in the early hours of the night, so she had specially prepared breakfast and had it ready for her so that she could eat as soon as she got up.
Luo Shuiyao looked at Aunt Zhang carefully and said with concern: "Aunt, you haven't fully recovered yet, so you should rest well first. It's not too late to do these trivial matters after you are fully recovered."
"It's okay, miss. I'm old and have been lying in bed for so many days that my body is almost stiff. Anyway, these are light work and I will feel better if I move my body around. Don't worry, I will let Chun Xing do the heavy work. She herself said that she is young and has plenty of strength, so let her do more." Nanny Zhang rarely joked with Luo Shuiyao.
Chun Xing happened to be walking over here with a broom in hand. When she heard Aunt Zhang's teasing, she pretended to be slightly angry and said angrily, "Aunt, how can you spread such nonsense everywhere? I'm just a girl. If this gets out, how can I get married in the future? People will think I'm a fierce person!"
"Oh, our Chun Xing has grown up and is even considering getting married." Aunt Zhang said with a deliberately exaggerated smile.
Chun Xing blushed at this, a rare blush on her face. "Madam Zhang..."
Luo Shuiyao pursed her lips and smiled lightly, watching the two of them laughing and joking, she felt that the years were peaceful.
After dinner, Nanny Zhang was left at the courtyard to look after the house, while Luo Shuiyao and Chun Xing headed to Qingyu Tower. The weather had been getting warmer recently, and at Qingyu Tower, Du Juan and the others had developed a number of desserts, thanks to Luo Shuiyao's suggestion. However, Luo Shuiyao hadn't tasted any of them, so she wasn't entirely sure how they fared. She decided to go check it out today, so that if there were any issues, she could make improvements. They'd try to launch new products when the weather gets hotter.
.........
At the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion, Lu Zhaozhao's failed suicide attempt and subsequent throat injury were all known to everyone except those in Qiuli Courtyard, who dared only discuss the matter privately. The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery heard about it yesterday upon returning home, and today, he happened to be at home with nothing to do. After dinner, the Marquis's wife brought up the matter again.
"Master, Zhao girl has a miserable life. Now her throat is injured. If we send her back to her parents' home, her parents will ignore her and won't find a good marriage for her." The Marquis's wife hesitated for a long time before finally finishing her words.
The Loyal and Brave Marquis picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Then what do you think we should do, Madam?"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's wife locked her gaze with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and cautiously probed, "Master, in my opinion, it would be better to give her a good lesson and keep her in the Marquis's mansion. Then, find a marriage partner for her as soon as possible, and marry her off as soon as possible. This will also end the friendship between Yao Niang and me..."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery slowly put down his teacup and asked with a half-smile, "How come, in your heart, your own son is not as important as the daughter of your good sister Yuanniang?"