Chapter 2: Why Do We Always Encounter Each Other by Chance? (Part 1)
At this moment, she is tightly closing her mouth, her large eyes darting back and forth
Zhu Yuan yawned again and turned to the officials beside him, saying, "This marquis is weary, I shall take my leave." After saying this, he strode towards the palace exit
Liang Xiaoyue raised her small face triumphantly, pointed her nose at Zhu Yuan, and said excitedly and proudly, almost arrogantly: "Don't worry, it's beautiful, just a little less pretty than me!"
The woman? Zhu Yuan paused for a moment, and a pair of bright and cunning eyes appeared in his mind. He waved his hand, shaking off this inexplicable fancy, and after pondering for a while, he said: "No need, I shall have a good rest tonight. By the way, inform everyone that we will prepare to return to the capital tomorrow."
Liang Xiaoyue's joyful expression froze for a moment, and gradually, dark clouds gathered again! She suppressed her desire to give him a good beating, stamped her foot, and said resentfully: "Can’t you change one? Is one not enough? Do you think a beauty is like a cabbage? Can they be produced in bulk?"
A shadow darted swiftly and leaped onto a rooftop. His figure was like lightning, and his movements were extremely agile. In the blink of an eye, he had traversed over a dozen rooftops and arrived at a lavish room resembling a palace.
Zhu Yuan furrowed his brows tightly, and in response to Liang Xiaoyue's expectant gaze, he shook his head and said: "There are no other wishes."
However, Liang Xiaoyue still did not notice; she tilted her head, her eyes darting back and forth, displaying a look of difficulty
The sound was very faint, almost imperceptible. As he twitched his nose, he caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance. With his eyes closed, Zhu Yuan felt his eyelids flutter a few times, and slowly, a soft sound of a sigh emerged.
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Yuan's fist tightened again in the quilt
Zhu Yuan's voice carried a hint of displeasure: "Why must you take action? With a wave of my hand, I can have a multitude of stunning beauties at my disposal." At this moment, his eyes were bright, and his speech was loud and powerful
Liang Xiaoyue plopped down onto the chair, feeling too exhausted to be angry with him. Pouting, she weakly said, "This wish is too difficult, why don't you make another one?"
Liang Xiaoyue frowned, showing a hint of anger. She suddenly stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and raised her voice, saying: "I want to live forever too! Who do you think you are? No way, change it!" Her face was filled with rage, completely forgetting that the person in front of her had already been enchanted by her spell and was not in a state of awareness.
Watching the direction in which she left, Zhu Yuan slowly stood up and murmured, "Wish? Why ask about my wish?"
After taking a glance, the newcomer shook his head and hopped over to the table. He opened the drawer, and then a murmuring sound entered Zhu Yuan's ears: "Where is the gold? Where are the pearls and jade? Why is there nothing at all? It turns out to be a penniless marquis!" The voice was delicate and pleasant, exactly like that of the young girl from earlier in the day
After laughing, a pair of small hands gently touched Zhu Yuan's eyelids, and at the same time, an intoxicating fragrance wafted into the marquis's nose
Night has fallen, and a crescent moon hangs in the vast sky, with a few wisps of floating clouds leisurely drifting past the moon
Liang Xiaoyue exclaimed joyfully, "What? Hurry up and tell me!"
Two young attendants closely followed behind, eagerly asking: "My lord, should we ask Governor Lin to send a few women over?"
Carefully lifting a tile, a shadow blinked its bright, large eyes, excitedly gazing below
After scrutinizing Zhu Yuan for a while, the young girl brought over a chair and sat down in front of his bed. Looking at the sleeping Zhu Yuan, she murmured, "He is quite handsome, and his eyelashes are so long!" At this point, she let out a soft giggle.
A crisp voice belonging to Liang Xiaoyue came through: "Do you have any wishes?"
Zhu Yuan's hand moved again. However, facing Liang Xiaoyue's eyes, it remained so dazed: "Yes."
"Thank you, Lord Xie, for your mercy!" The joyful exclamations resounded like thunder, and the people on the painted boat let out a great sigh of relief
Zhu Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice involuntarily rising a bit: "Why did you come halfway, is that one not acceptable?" He asked urgently, but the thoughtful Liang Xiaoyue did not notice.
Under Zhu Yuanzhang's expectant gaze, she smiled and said, "I will go back and think it over, and come to find you once I have made up my mind". With that, she swiftly darted towards the door and disappeared in the blink of an eye
"Wish?" Zhu Yuan opened his eyes in a daze, asking with a bewildered gaze
The corner of Zhu Yuan's mouth, barely visible, spoke mechanically with a gaze still hazy: "I want to live forever"
The lord suddenly jerked his hand from under the quilt, and his eyelids twitched a few times. After a while, he weakly said: "One thousand taels, is that so little?"
Zhu Yuan curled his lips and asked: "How beautiful is it? Is it enough to topple a city or a nation? How many forms can it take?"
At this moment, Liang Xiaoyue stopped her swaying motion, pouted her lips, and called out crisply, "Hey, the one named Zhu Yuan," upon which Zhu Yuan's fingers moved again beneath the covers
At this moment, a burly man approached Zhu Yuan and whispered, "My lord, this matter seems suspicious; it would be best to return quickly."
It is ! ''
Zhu Yuan exhaled, and Liang Xiaoyue shook his shoulders.
Zhu Yuan's hand twitched again, and he struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward: "How beautiful?"
As she watched the large ship sail away, the middle-aged woman in the painted boat came to her senses and looked at Liang Xiaoyue in surprise. She had originally thought that she was acquainted with the marquis, but little did she know that it was not the case at all! Could it be that she was merely a young woman vainly trying to climb the social ladder? With this thought, a look of disdain appeared on her face.
Turning his head, Zhu Yuan shook the folding fan in his hand and said, somewhat disheartened: "Alright, let us go drink, do not let this small matter dampen our spirits."
In the great hall, Zhu Yuan lazily yawned and waved his hand. As he gestured, the singing and dancing in the hall immediately came to a halt. The middle-aged scholar beside him, noticing the weary expression on the lord's face, said: "Your Majesty, are you tired?"
Hearing her voice, Zhu Yuan's lips curled into a smile
The sound of footsteps gradually grew louder, and before long, they arrived at Zhu Yuan's bedside
After a while, she clapped her hands together and chuckled, saying, "Alright"
After thinking for a while, she happily waved her hand and said: "Go back!"
The corner of Zhu Yuan's mouth lifted slightly once more, and he said, "Living a long life of a thousand years is also possible." Seeing the clouds of gloom gathering on Liang Xiaoyue's face, he stared with vacant eyes and murmured, "What about living to a hundred years?"
At the same time, he was secretly alarmed, wondering: what kind of method is this
Liang Xiaoyue opened each drawer to take a glance, then ran over to the incense tray to smell it carefully, and only then did she bounce to Zhu Yuan's bedside
"How can you have no wishes?" Liang Xiaoyue said anxiously. She grasped the hand of the marquis, half of her body leaning against him, and spoke to him softly, "Do you want gold? I can give you one thousand taels of gold"
Pinching Zhu Yuan's eyelashes, Liang Xiaoyue extended her thumb and index finger. Suddenly, she flicked her index finger! With her movement, Zhu Yuan's eyelashes shot up and then bounced back. After playing with it a few times, Liang Xiaoyue, feeling bored, propped her chin on her hand and murmured, "Let's get down to business; this young lady is truly too busy to waste time chatting with this lecherous Lord."
After rolling her eyes a few times, Liang Xiaoyue suddenly chuckled and said, "Do you want a beauty? I can turn the maid beside you into a very beautiful woman."
She pouted her lips and thought: How boring, he ignores me over such a trivial matter, it seems he is a coward! Both lecherous and timid, this Zhu Yuan is truly disappointing
Liang Xiaoyue nodded vigorously and said happily: "Yes, yes! Do you have any wishes that you want to achieve but cannot?"
The visitor appeared to be somewhat hesitant, lingering for a moment in front of Zhu Yuan. Noticing that he was sound asleep, he slowly leaned in closer to take a look at him. At that moment, Zhu Yuan's hand, which was resting under the blanket, involuntarily clenched tightly
Zhu Yuan glanced at Liang Xiaoyue a few times and thought: Although the beauty is indeed beautiful, she is somewhat sinister. At this critical moment, it is best not to create unnecessary complications. With this thought, he nodded and said: "Everyone get up, I will not hold it against you."
Regarding the expression of the middle-aged woman, Liang Xiaoyue was completely unaware. Her eyes sparkled as she thought: Hehe, Zhu Yuan's reaction is quite quick; I didn't expect that he also possesses skills!
Striding into the chamber, Zhu Yuan, under the service of his attendants, removed his robes and lit the incense. Just as two young servants closed the main door and slowly retreated to the side hall, a swoosh sounded, and a dark figure appeared in the room
At the moment she exhaled, a feeling of lightness surged towards Zhu Yuan. This sensation was ethereal, surreal, and quite pleasant. He, who had remained alert, immediately sensed that at this moment, his mind was becoming muddled. Quickly holding his breath, Zhu Yuan silently recited his unique mental technique to maintain his clarity.
Liang Xiaoyue thought of his identity and, feeling a bit embarrassed, lowered her head. After glancing at him through her eyelashes, she stammered, "Well, I came here halfway. So, so, that won't do."