She hugged her skirt to her chest, responded, and the traces of tears on her face, which she hadn't wiped away, gleamed in the candlelight.
Murong Xue leaned closer to take a look and nodded.
"It looks good, and it suits you."
Yun Shuyue sniffed again, then turned and went to the side room.
The footsteps faded into the distance, and the main hall fell silent once more.
Shen Ling'er turned to collect her medicine box, a slight smile still on her lips, her fingers fiddling with the porcelain bottles in the medicine compartment, arranging each one neatly.
The only sounds in the courtyard were the chirping of insects, and occasionally a night breeze would make the lanterns under the eaves sway.
The next day, just as dawn broke, there was commotion in the courtyard.
Uncle Fu was sweeping the yard, and the broom made a rhythmic swishing sound as it hit the bluestone tiles.
Gu Moran's door opened.
He was wearing an outer robe, his hair was only half tied up with a cloth strip, his eyes were not fully open, he stood on the porch with his hand on the door frame, and slowly yawned.
Last night, I was working on the general outline of agricultural policy until the wee hours of the morning. I drew several full sheets of paper on things like terraced field drainage, ditch diversion, and early rice domestication before finally forcing myself to go to sleep.
The air in the courtyard was cool with the morning breeze. He squinted and scanned the area, but didn't see anything unusual.
Just as he was about to walk towards the kitchen to get a bowl of hot soup to warm his hands, he had only taken half a step when he suddenly heard the sound of clothes rustling in the wind.
Very close.
soon.
He instinctively turned to the side, but there wasn't time to back away.
A splash of bright red collided head-on with him, striking him squarely in the chest.
With a bang.
Gu Moran was knocked backward and staggered, her back hitting a pillar with a muffled groan.
That reddish-white figure wasn't much better off; with the force of the impact, she fell downwards, frantically grabbing his collar and twisting it into a crumpled mess.
The two of them worked together to sit down on the chairs next to the pillars.
The chair leg made a creaking sound as it hit the ground, but it didn't fall apart; it barely held on.
Gu Moran was pinned down, and her first reaction was to check her ribs. Fortunately, they were fine, just a little sore.
He looked down.
She wore a light red, high-waisted dress, and had two pretty buns on her head. Her face was buried in her front, and apart from a section of her neck, nothing else could be seen.
However, there is a faint mark on the back of his neck from a stick injury, which hasn't completely faded after only a few days of medication.
Gu Moran recognized her.
This is the first time I've seen Yun Shuyue dressed as a woman, and she looks so radiant!
He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the person in his arms raised their head.
Yun Shuyue's face turned unusually red, from her cheeks all the way to her earlobes. She gripped his clothes tightly with both hands, as if clutching a lifeline. Her eyes stared straight at him, and she held her breath for a good two breaths.
Oh my god, how embarrassing!
She was just wearing women's clothes for the first time and wanted to ask the older women if it looked good, but somehow...
Gu Moran looked at her, then at the ground.
Her skirt was a mess at her feet, her left foot stepping on the instep of her right foot, and one of the embroidered flowers on the toe of her shoe was already scratched.
"Not used to wearing it?" he asked.
Yun Shuyue opened her mouth, then closed it again, her face turning even redder, and she managed to squeeze out a single word.
"Slip."
Gu Moran couldn't help but twitch her lips.
"Walk with your skirt gathered up, don't take big strides, and tiptoe on the ground."
Yun Shuyue remained frozen in place, still holding on.
In this position, she sat on his lap, her hands gripping his shirt, her forehead almost touching his chin.
Ambiguity is spreading.
Uncle Fu stopped sweeping in the yard.
Gu Moran sensed that someone was watching, and without turning her head, she could guess what Uncle Fu's expression was.
Just as he was about to tell her to get up, footsteps sounded, carrying a medicinal fragrance.
Shen Ling'er, carrying the medicine bowl, turned through the moon gate and saw this scene. She didn't stop, but walked very steadily, holding the medicine bowl upright, with a deep smile on her face.
She walked around to the chair, placed the medicine bowl on the small table next to it, glanced down at Yun Shuyue's position, and then at Gu Moran's expression, her eyes unusually bright.
"Your Highness is weak and easily chilled." Her voice was gentle and clear. "Sister Yun is so warm; she can warm Your Highness's hands."
She paused, her gaze falling on Yun Shuyue's legs.
"Just remember, little sister, don't step on His Highness's legs."
Yun Shuyue seemed to have been struck by a pressure point, her whole body stiffened, and then she sprang up from Gu Moran's lap with extreme panic, taking three steps back. She almost tripped over her skirt again, and only managed to steady herself by grabbing onto a pillar.
She stood by the pillar, her fingers tracing the grain of the wood, her face burning red.
Gu Moran sat in the chair, smoothed out the wrinkles on her shirt that she had been clutching, and turned to look at Shen Ling'er.
Shen Ling'er handed over the medicine bowl, her expression calm and composed, without revealing any flaws.
Gu Moran took the bowl of medicine but didn't say anything.
He shifted his gaze to a spot not far away, where Su Yao sat at a low table under the eaves, with account books spread out and an abacus beside her. Hearing the noise, she looked up, her expression unchanged, before lowering her head again to move two beads.
He didn't even frown.
Gu Moran held the medicine bowl and sighed inwardly.
He felt he sometimes couldn't figure out what the women in the prince's mansion were really thinking.
Yun Shuyue stood by the pillar for a moment, and the cold wind made the wound on her back ache dully.
She straightened her back slightly, gathered her skirt again, and tried to take a step.
This time, he didn't step on himself.
She took another step.
fine.
She quietly lifted her gaze from the ground and glanced in Gu Moran's direction. Seeing that he was drinking his medicine and not looking at her, she breathed a sigh of relief, and the blush on her face faded slightly.
Shen Ling'er stood next to Gu Moran, her eyes lowered, watching him drink the medicine in the bowl, then took the bowl and turned to look at Yun Shuyue.
"Little sister, you got up early, didn't you eat anything?"
Yun Shuyue shook her head.
"Go to the kitchen, the mixed grain porridge that Auntie Zhao and the others brought last night is ready."
Auntie Zhao.
Auntie Zhao from the village?
Yun Shuyue was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses.
Last night, Su Yao said that the Prince's Mansion had taken in the children from Black Wind Stronghold. She thought it was just the children, but she didn't expect Auntie Zhao to be there as well, and that they acted so quickly.
"They've all come?"
"It was all arranged last night." Shen Ling'er handed the empty medicine bowl to a passing maid. " Tiedan and Doubao were clamoring to thank His Highness, but Auntie Zhao held them back, saying they weren't allowed to be so unruly."
Yun Shuyue's eyes lit up immediately.
Gu Moran, holding his teacup, glanced at Shen Ling'er upon seeing her expression.
Shen Ling'er was focused on organizing the medicine box and didn't look back at him, but the slight smile on her lips didn't disappear.
Yun Shuyue had already forgotten her earlier embarrassment. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she walked towards the kitchen, her expression somewhat indescribable.
She looked down at her toes.
The light red skirt draped over the bluestone floor tiles, its color shining brightly in the morning light.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the remaining bitterness, and left.
My steps were much steadyer than before.
Gu Moran put the teacup back on the table, leaned back in his chair, and watched her disappear behind the moon gate.
After sweeping the last section of the floor, Uncle Fu put away the broom and walked to the porch.
"Your Highness, a notice arrived from the Prefect Si today, saying that the notice regarding the naming of the road construction project has been drafted and requesting your review."
"Um."
" Commandant Zhen said that the survey of the northern section of the road has been completed, and the soil quality is not much different from our estimates. The materials and workmanship are already being prepared."
"Um."
"Last night, Madam Liu from the Flower-Between Pavilion sent word that a merchant wanted to see His Highness. They said they came from Jia Prefecture with three cartloads of goods, specifically drawn by the reputation of Mixue Ice City."
Footsteps sounded again.
Xie Wanqing emerged from behind the moon gate, carrying a thick stack of papers.
"Your Highness, the bookstore is pressing for the manuscript for the second volume. The readers are urging us fiercely, saying that the wooden plaques for the first volume haven't been collected yet, and the second volume can't be delayed."
She placed the paper on the small table in front of him.
"This is the second outline drafted by Wanqing. Please take a look, Your Highness."
Gu Moran glanced down at the first line of the outline.
"The Legend of Brocade Official City: A Brilliant Plan to Secure the Nation, Volume Two - The Ingenious Plan for the Granary, and the Unsolved Mystery of the Salt Tax Across Three Thousand Miles."
He looked up at Xie Wanqing.
Xie Wanqing appeared calm.
"Since most of the recent book buyers are men, they've expressed a desire to read unsolved cases instead of romance novels. Wanqing thinks the thread of the old salt tax debt can be laid out in the storybook first, so that when the case is finally solved, it will perfectly connect the beginning and the end."
Gu Moran remained silent for a moment.
"Did the main character in this story have to drink bitter medicine every day?"
Xie Wanqing turned a page.
"Yes, readers said this part was very interesting and asked for more of it."
Gu Moran:?