The Northern Alcove Bed Was Too Hard-It Might Not Stand Up to Several People Tossing Around

The guest rooms in Prince An's Residence were heated by floor heating.

As soon as I entered, the heat hit my face, chasing away all the coolness brought in from outside.

A canopy bed stands in the center of the room.

It is a style unique to the North, with a wide and deep bed, a footboard at the front, a frame made of a single piece of elm wood, and four bedposts so thick that it takes two hands to encircle them.

The bed was covered with two layers of thick Shu brocade cushions, and the quilt cover was embroidered with lotus scrolls.

Gu Moran looked at the bed and did some mental calculations.

This bed is big enough for five people to lie in without feeling cramped.

He quickly suppressed the thought.

Meng Jiuning stood on the footboard, holding a basin of hot water.

She changed into a plain-colored dress, the sleeves rolled up to her wrists. The water in the basin was still rippling, and wisps of steam rose up.

She gave a slight bow as he entered.

"Your Highness is back. The water's just boiled; perfect timing to wash your face."

Murong Xue leaned against the bedpost.

She held a piece of suede in her hand and rubbed it against the scarlet whip, the leather making a soft, rustling sound.

Gu Moran the room without her even lifting her eyelids.

"Oh, finished counting the money?"

"I've finished counting."

"How many?"

Thirty thousand taels.

Murong Xue paused for a moment, then continued wiping.

"Your second brother is really generous."

He can't be too stingy.

Gu Moran took off his outer robe and hung it on the clothes rack.

Shen Ling'er squeezed through from behind, carrying her medicine box.

She was short, so she slipped past Meng Jiuning, pulled out a small round stool, placed it in front of the bed, and sat down.

The movements were performed in one smooth motion.

"My husband, please sit down."

Gu Moran sat on the edge of the bed.

Shen Ling'er's fingers touched his wrist directly.

"I've been busy traveling these past few days, I need to check his pulse."

"I'm not afraid."

"They don't care."

Shen Ling'er didn't even raise her head.

"If a person doesn't get angry, the peanuts won't break."

Gu Moran opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it.

This girl can see right through a patient or person at a glance.

Suddenly, a "thump" came from under the bed.

Immediately afterwards, the hidden compartment under the canopy bed was pushed open from the inside, Zhen Meili emerged covered in dust.

She was holding a woodworking ruler in her hand, and two strands of spider web clung to her hair.

"Your Highness, you've come at the perfect time."

She brushed the dust off her knees.

"Our mortise and tenon joints in the north aren't as durable as those in Yi Prefecture."

Gu Moran looked at her.

Why are you crawling under the bed?

"Inspect the goods."

Zhen Meili with righteous indignation.

"If I don't check your bed, who will? What if it collapses in the middle of the night?"

She tapped the bed leg with a woodworking ruler.

"Listen to this sound. The wood is good, but the tenon is too shallow; it can't withstand horizontal force. It's fine for one person to sleep in, but if there are many people, it will creak if there's any swaying from side to side."

Murong Xue stopped wiping the whip.

Meng Jiuning held the basin, her ears slowly turning red.

Shen Ling'er tightened her grip on Zhen Meili's pulse and glared at her.

Zhen Meili was completely oblivious and continued muttering to herself.

"If you ask me, we should add two iron hoops under the bedposts, and then put three inches of felt underneath..."

A soft sound came from the doorway.

Lin Qingdai stood outside the door with her sword in her arms, without going inside.

The moonlight shone from behind her, casting a long shadow that stretched all the way to the footboard.

Her sword sheath bumped against the door frame.

The sound wasn't loud, but the room fell silent instantly.

This is a reminder to the people inside to behave themselves.

Zhen Meili shrank back, swallowing the rest of her words.

Gu Moran glanced towards the door.

" Qingdai, come in and sit down."

"No need."

Lin Qingdai's voice drifted in from outside the door.

I'll keep watch.

Gu Moran didn't try to persuade her any further.

That's just how this girl is; she wants to come in, but she won't say it out loud.

Last time in Su Yao's room, I stood by the bed for a long time trying to stay upright, but in the end, he pulled me over.

Tonight, the Prince An's Residence wasn't her own territory; she was standing guard at the gate, truly keeping watch all night.

Shen Ling'er's fingertips massaged his cun and chi points back and forth.

"The pulse is floating and slightly rapid, indicating that the internal heat is rising upwards."

She frowned.

"Your Highness has been traveling these past few days, and your temper is already quite agitated. If you continue to exert yourself tonight, your voice will be hoarse by tomorrow morning."

"What should we do then?"

"Take your medicine and go to sleep."

Shen Ling'er took a small porcelain bottle out of the medicine box.

I sleep alone.

The room fell silent again.

Murong Xue gave a cold laugh.

"Dr. Shen's prescription is wonderful; my husband will be spending the night alone."

"I'm a doctor, I'll stay by his side."

"You're going to hog all the food? Are doctors not human?"

Shen Ling'er blushed and glared at her.

"You..."

Meng Jiuning then handed over the wrung-out hot towel.

She stepped off the pedal, bent down and handed it to Gu Moran, her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand.

It was a very light touch, lasting only a moment.

But her hands were warm; they had just been taken out of the hot water, and the warmth was creeping up the back of her hands.

"Your Highness, please wipe your face first."

Her voice was very low, her eyes were downcast, and she only looked at the handkerchief, not at the person.

Gu Moran took the handkerchief, knowing exactly what was going on.

The girl had only moved into her new apartment a few days ago, and among the group of people, she was the most insecure, so she took every step very carefully.

Extending the hand offering the handkerchief forward by half an inch is a test;

Lowering one's voice is a sign of goodwill;

I avoid looking at people because I'm afraid they'll find fault with me.

The princess of Dali was quite cunning.

Murong Xue was somewhat displeased.

She snorted coldly, and the soft edge in her hand trembled.

The edge of the cup pierced the air, caught a teacup on the table, and pulled it back.

The teacup spun in mid-air before landing steadily on the table, its bottom striking the wood with a crisp sound.

Not a drop of water was spilled.

Meng Jiuning pulled her hand back slightly.

Murong Xue wrapped the whip around her waist and raised her chin.

"Slip of the hand."

Zhen Meili clapped her hands beside her.

"Wow! Impressive whip technique! That wrist, that power in your waist and hips, wow, I knew you were a master..."

"Shut up."

Murong Xue's ears turned red.

Gu Moran ignored them.

He unfolded the hot towel and covered his face, then leaned back against the bedpost.

The heat from the handkerchief seeped into my skin, burning all the way to my eyes.

He's been traveling non-stop from Jiangling to Luoyang and from Luoyang to Anyang these past few days, and he's really exhausted.

He exhaled a breath from under the handkerchief, the breath steaming.

"This bed board is too hard."

No one answered from inside the room.

Gu Moran slowly added the second half of the sentence through the handkerchief.

"Several people trying to do this together might not be enough to sustain it."

As soon as he said that, the temperature in the room rose by two degrees.

Shen Ling'er's ears turned red first, from the tips all the way down to her earlobes.

She kept her head down as she packed her medicine box, putting the porcelain bottle in and taking it out, then taking it out and putting it in again.

Meng Jiuning pursed her lips, picked up the basin, and retreated back onto the footboard, causing the water to slosh even more violently.

Murong Xue turned her face away, pretending to look out the window.

Outside the door, Lin Qingdai's sword sheath bumped against the door frame again.

This time it's a bit heavier.

Only Zhen Meili didn't understand the other meaning.

She threw the woodworking ruler on the ground, climbed onto the bed without saying a word, and knelt on the brocade quilt to begin spreading the quilt.

The knee pressed down on the silk, leaving a round indentation.

"Can't hold up? Then add two more layers!"

She pulled open the brocade quilt folded at the foot of the bed and spread it on top of the bed, layer by layer.

"Let me tell you, the key to load-bearing capacity isn't the bed board, it's the distribution of stress."

There aren't many people, what's scary is everyone crowding together.

If you're going to sleep, you have to arrange yourself according to weight. The heavier ones sleep in the middle, and the lighter ones sleep at either end...