in2ebook Chapter 355 Borrowing Clothes
Chapter 355 Borrowing Clothes
Nianyao and Luo An were alright, but Xu Sheng and Hailuo were soaked to the bone. The strong wind had stopped, but a gentle breeze kept blowing, stinging their faces. Hailuo wasn't bothered by the cold, but Xu Sheng's face was a little pale.
The luggage in the temple was swept away by the waves, and the horses were nowhere to be found. It was getting dark, and there was no way to search for them now, nor was there anywhere to buy anything.
Xu Sheng began to take off his wet clothes.
Nianyao said, "You'll freeze to death whether you take it off or not. You might as well not take it off at all; at least you'll die with some dignity."
Xu Sheng took off one garment at a time and threw it away. When he got down to his undergarments, Nian Yao immediately moved behind Luo An, still talking: "You're not going to take everything off, are you? The Prince of Nanyue stormed into Penglai naked, that would probably be worth a thousand coins."
After Xu Sheng took off his upper garment, he reached out to Luo An. Luo An took off his fox fur coat, threw his long coat to him, and then tied the fox fur coat back up.
Xu Sheng put on his long coat, fumbled to take off his wet underpants, and insisted again: "Penglai Palace."
They finally arrived at the Penglai Palace. The Penglai Palace and Penglai Pavilion face each other across a small lake, and the palace can be seen from Penglai Pavilion. Last time, Xu Sheng wanted to visit it, but he didn't expect the security to be so tight that even he couldn't get in.
The late emperor had been gone for many years, and the emperor and the crown prince rarely came, plus it was far from Bianjing. Logically speaking, a palace so far from the emperor's reach could be managed by a few cleaning women, but Penglai Palace was clearly not like that.
A middle-aged man with gray hair opened the door for them, carrying a lantern. He was composed and had a certain air of authority: "Please come in, young master."
Luo An only knew that there was a palace in Penglai, and this was his first time here. He had entered without even showing his identification token. Not to mention Xu Sheng, even Luo An was quite surprised.
Luo An asked, "How should I address you, senior?"
The middle-aged man said, "If you don't mind, young master, you can just call me Uncle Yun."
Luo An said, "I'm sorry to bother Uncle Yun."
Yunbo respectfully replied, "Young master, you flatter me. I am but a humble servant."
After Luo An and his party entered the gate, the man closed the gate, picked up a lantern, and led the way: "Young master, please follow me."
The vast palace was only dimly lit by lanterns, and there wasn't even a single lantern under the eaves. Even imperial mausoleums were always brightly lit, but this palace was dark and quiet, exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression, completely lacking any imperial grandeur.
Xu Sheng looked around in the dim light, and just as he was going down the steps, he twisted his ankle and almost fell.
Without turning his head, Yunbo said calmly, "Your Highness, the road is not safe, please be careful."
Was there a hidden meaning in his words? Xu Sheng replied, "You recognize me?"
Yunbo said, "Your Highness is exceptionally distinguished; how could I not recognize you?"
Uncle Yun led them through the front yard, up the steps to cross the flower bridge, down the steps to turn right, and along the corridor until they arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard: "You gentlemen will be staying here tonight."
The courtyard, though small, was quite compact, containing a kitchen and a bathing room. Maids brought clothes to help them bathe and change. Luo An washed away the dust of his journey, changed into a clean and refreshing moon-white robe, and felt completely refreshed.
Nianyao stood under the lamp, looking up, and saw Luo An push open the door and enter, pointing at the palace lantern: "Is that a luminous pearl inside?"
Luo An leaped down and took the palace lantern. Removing the lampshade, a luminous pearl the size of an egg appeared before him. Luo An held the pearl between his fingers and twirled it; without the lampshade, the pearl shimmered with iridescent light.
Nianyao's eyes nearly popped out of her head: "So beautiful, this is the most beautiful luminous pearl I've ever seen."
Luo An tossed the luminous pearl onto the bed: "It should look even more beautiful when viewed from the bed."
The ancients were right: "When people are well-fed and warm, they think of lustful desires." This is absolutely true.
Both of them were holding their breath during this parting. The steadfastness they once believed in seemed like a joke in the face of fate's unpredictable changes. Now, it seemed they wanted to dispel their inner unease and uncertainty about the future through this deep entanglement and rivalry.
The light from the luminous pearl became exceptionally soft as it shone through the curtains. The two played around until midnight, when Nianyao finally gave in. Her eyes were moist, and she rested her head on Luo An's chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, and fell into a deep sleep.
Luo An had too many things on his mind, and now he couldn't sleep. Uncle Yun was obviously very familiar with them, and he had a vague sense of familiarity with Uncle Yun—where had he seen him before?
This palace is so remote, hardly anyone comes here. Why would someone like Yunbo stay here? Surely His Majesty and An Liangchen wouldn't waste such a talented person?
The lamps in this room are made of luminous pearls, the lanterns in the courtyard are also made of luminous pearls, and even Yun Boti's lamp is made of luminous pearls. All the lamps in this palace are made of luminous pearls. Even someone as wealthy as Luo An had never seen so many large luminous pearls in his entire life.
It was hard to see clearly at night, but the air around the palace felt very damp. Just after crossing the bridge, I could vaguely see some large animals in the water, kind of like crocodiles.
Just as Luo An was about to close his eyes in a daze, he heard a voice coming from the courtyard outside: Who is it so late?
The lamp on the stone table in the courtyard was still lit, and Xu Sheng was practicing his swordplay there, his movements fluid and graceful, resembling a set of Qin family sword techniques. Qin Feng had never mistreated him; he had taught him everything he knew, from swordsmanship to strategy.
Xu Sheng's movements grew faster and faster, his impatience barely concealed by even the smoothest motions. The sword whistled past the lampshade, sending the luminous pearl tumbling off the stone table. Xu Sheng spun around and kicked it, sending the pearl flying towards Luo An.
Luo An took the luminous pearl and twirled it on his finger a few times before loosening his grip and asking, "Can't sleep?"
Xu Sheng, unusually, didn't hide his emotions: "Mm."
Luo An recalled that Xu Sheng had come to his room in the middle of the night in Hengshan and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Xu Chang sheathed his sword and remained silent for a long while, which was tantamount to admitting defeat. His figure, standing sideways in half-light and half-shadow, seemed somewhat dejected.
Dejected? How could such an emotion appear in Xu Sheng? Luo An suddenly asked, "Want a drink?"
Drinking? Xu Sheng turned to look at him, wondering if he had misheard: Luo An invited him to drink?
Luo An turned back into the room and quickly came out carrying a wine pot and cups. He first placed the luminous pearl on the lamp stand, then filled the two cups: "Try it, intoxicatingly delicious, the former national brew of Nanyue."
Xu Sheng then slowly sat down: "How come there's Nan Yue national wine here?"
Luo An said, "I heard that the late emperor loved to drink this. Every year, the Imperial Brewing Pavilion would brew a batch of wine as tribute based on the recipe provided by the Liu family's wine maid. This is a temporary palace, so it's not surprising that they have it."
Xu Sheng asked again, "Why isn't it in my room?"
Luo An smiled and said, "When in Rome, do as the host says, shall we?"
Luo An had always been emotional in front of Xu Sheng. But now, in the deep of night, Luo An was drinking and chatting with him, his tone patient and calm, as natural as that of a longtime friend.
Qin Feng, being a martial artist, possessed profound internal strength; even if his clothes were soaked, it wouldn't affect him much. His act of taking off his clothes and reaching out to Luo An was a test; he was already prepared to be rejected.
But Luo An didn't refuse. Not only did he not refuse when Luo An asked for clothes, he also agreed to come to Penglai Palace. As expected of the Empress's son, he is very much like her: cold on the outside and cold on the inside, but warm and kind on the inside.