sjar Chapter 119: The Moon-Melting Plan
Chapter 119: The Moon-Melting Plan
On the other side, on the third floor of the northwest corner building.
From here, one can overlook the entire Forbidden City. The breeze blows gently, and the Forbidden City in March is picturesque, making people feel relaxed and happy. However, the prince, who was just finishing school, sat aside, his mind focused on Shi Rongyue beside him.
Shi Rongyue was seen sitting on a chair with a large drawing board in front of her. This was urgently made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs according to her request.
At this moment, she was holding a more delicate charcoal pencil, looking at the Forbidden City in spring while quickly drawing with her hands. Her focused eyes made people seem to forget the world, forget the troubles, forget all worries, and there was a kind of beauty that could not be described.
The prince couldn't help but hold his breath, staring at the scene without blinking. After an unknown amount of time, Shi Rongyue let out a breath and put down his hand.
"Oh my god, it's finally finished."
As he spoke, he couldn't help rubbing his wrist. The prince came back to his senses upon seeing this, and immediately stepped forward and carefully took the charcoal pencil from Shi Rongyue's hand, and said with some concern:
"Does it hurt? Do you want some ointment?"
Shi Rongyue stretched out his hand upon hearing this, and ordered as a matter of course: "Then hurry up."
The prince was stunned when he heard this, and when he saw the slender wrist stretched out in front of him, his face turned red.
Although he already had concubines, they were all given by the emperor. When they saw him, they either tried to please him cautiously or looked at him with red faces.
He had little interest in this. From childhood to adulthood, women had always acted like this when they saw him. It was only after he met Shi Rongyue that he discovered that women could be so novel and interesting.
Compared with those women who tried to please him in the past, he even felt that the other party's behavior of often ignoring him when she was in a bad mood was cute and interesting. He also felt that this was a sign that the other party did not value his status.
Moreover, she was multi-talented and had many outstanding qualities. Her appearance and figure were particularly to his liking. After getting to know her for a long time, he discovered that she did not have much awe for him.
Yes, he could feel that the other party was not afraid of him, which made him even more surprised.
Since he was made the crown prince at the age of one, everyone in the palace was in awe and cautious when they saw him. A single look from him could make everyone tremble with fear, but Shi Rongyue seemed to be unaffected by it.
This discovery made him look forward to the days after their marriage, whether they could be as close and harmonious as ordinary people.
With this thought in mind, he felt a little hot in his heart when he saw the other party's natural behavior of not treating him as an outsider. He gently took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and opened the stopper.
Then he picked up a handful of white ointment with his fingers, looked at the wrist in front of him that was emitting a faint fragrance, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and applied it carefully.
The moment their skin touched, the prince felt the skin under his fingertips was slightly cool and smooth. His heart trembled and he subconsciously looked at Shi Rongyue.
Shi Rongyue didn't know that a casual action would make the prince have wild thoughts. She came from the modern era and had no feelings about a man applying medicine on her. Instead, she was thinking about Sisi in her heart.
Since the confession in Changyin Pavilion that day, although she still went there every day, she never saw the other party again. Although she had guessed this result, she was still a little disappointed. However, because she had already made up her mind, she was not in a hurry. After thinking of the idea, she looked at the prince.
The prince felt a little disappointed when he saw Shi Rongyue in a trance, but he did not disturb him and finished applying the ointment silently. When he was about to withdraw his hand, he found that Shi Rongyue was looking at him. His disappointment immediately dissipated, and the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up.
The next moment, he tried his best to suppress it, pretending to cough lightly and said:
"What's wrong? Does it still hurt?"
Seeing the prince's reaction, Shi Rongyue felt a little smug. She didn't care about the prince before, and didn't think that he liked her, but since he confessed to her that day, now she could immediately see his thoughts, which made her more confident.
So he changed the subject after a casual perfunctory remark:
"Your Highness, I saw you and the Fourth Prince inseparable before. Why haven't I seen the Fourth Prince with you recently?"
When the prince heard Shi Rongyue mention the Fourth Prince, he subconsciously frowned in worry.
"Old Four was feeling unwell a few days ago, and had gotten better. But after returning from Changyin Pavilion that day, I don't know if he was caught in the wind, but he got a fever again. Now he is still in bed recuperating."
What? Sisi has a fever, is she okay?
Just when I thought of this, I remembered that Sisi was in bed recuperating. That means he might not be able to attend the birthday party tomorrow. What should I do with my plans then?
Shi Rongyue couldn't remain calm anymore and couldn't help but ask:
"Then the Fourth Prince will not attend tomorrow's birthday celebration, right?"
The prince was worried about the Fourth Prince, and for a moment he did not notice the worry and anxiety that Shi Rongyue had not concealed well in her words. Instead, he slowly shook his head and said affirmatively:
"Tomorrow is the Emperor's birthday. Given the Fourth Brother's personality, he will attend even if he is sick."
Hearing this, Shi Rongyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she would participate. Otherwise, without the male protagonist, no matter how good her plan was, she would not be able to carry it out.
At this time, the prince was heard saying:
"I'll go see him on my way back later, and ask him to follow me tomorrow so that I can take care of him the first time if anything happens."
Shi Rongyue breathed a sigh of relief again.
She had been getting closer to the prince recently for this moment. She knew that Sisi had a good relationship with the prince in the early stage. As long as the prince opened his mouth, the other party would definitely not refuse. She could also use this opportunity to make things fait accompli with Sisi.
Thinking of this, he immediately looked at the sketch of the Forbidden City that he had drawn for several days in a row, examined it carefully from top to bottom, and nodded with satisfaction.
Although it is not as detailed as modern sketches, it is unique in the Qing Dynasty. Tomorrow she will present this painting to Kangxi as a birthday gift, and it will surely shock the audience again.
She hoped to please Emperor Kangxi so that when her affair with Sisi came to light, coupled with the fact that the Empress Dowager had already been conquered, she would just have to insist that she was framed, and no one would suspect that she had given herself the aphrodisiac.
At that time, she was a victim in public, and with this painting, Kangxi would definitely make the decision for her and marry her to the Fourth Prince as his legitimate wife.
As for the original candidates for the Fourth Lady, Ulanara Hesui, with her in place, they naturally had to give up their positions. For a moment, Shi Rongyue's mind was clattering with calculations.
The prince hadn't heard Shi Rongyue speak for a long time. Seeing that she was absorbed in looking at the Western painting, he also looked over. Even though he had been watching Shi Rongyue paint stroke by stroke before, he was still shocked when he saw the whole painting after it was finished. It was so delicate.
It was as if the entire Forbidden City had come alive in the painting. He could not take his eyes off it for a moment. When Shi Rongyue came back to his senses and saw this scene, he said proudly:
"How is it? Will the emperor like this as a birthday gift tomorrow?"
"Yes, the Emperor will definitely like it." The prince said with certainty.
Shi Rongyue became even more proud after hearing this. Then she remembered something and asked quickly:
"By the way, has Your Highness arranged the surprise that I proposed to prepare for the Emperor?"
This is related to her chance to be alone with Sisi.
The prince nodded immediately. Shi Rongyue smiled even more complacently after hearing this, and the prince looked at Shi Rongyue with eyes full of doting.
The next day was Kangxi's birthday. The whole palace celebrated the occasion and the place was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns early in the morning, making it extremely lively.
At this time in Chuxiu Palace, Shi Nanxi, who was specially allowed to attend the Wanshou Festival, was also busy dressing up and listening to the various rules and procedures of the banquet.
And because she had a falling out with Shi Rongyue, she didn't have her help with the nude makeup this time. After she was dressed up, she didn't look as stunning as she did last time in Changyin Pavilion.
But it doesn't matter, just keep a low profile. The focus today is not on her. Thinking of this, Shi Nanxi glanced at Shi Rongyue who was sitting at the dressing table.
This time, she did not dress flamboyantly like she did at the prince's birthday party. Instead, she dressed conservatively, contrary to her usual style.
It seems that the other party is very serious about today's matter, but once today is over, tomorrow will be the re-election. If she doesn't take action now, she will run out of time.
At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the door, and Nanny Zhang walked in with a smile on her face. As soon as she came in, she went straight to Shi Rongyue attentively.
"Princess Shi, today is the Emperor's birthday. The banquet has complicated rules and procedures. Why don't you let me go with you?"
Shi Rongyue saw Nanny Zhang in the mirror and immediately remembered that she had proposed to follow her two days ago. Now she came over again and seemed unwilling to give up. She couldn't help but said impatiently:
"I have learned all the rules. I have remembered them well, so there is no need to trouble Madam."
Aunt Zhang secretly hated it in her heart, but said awkwardly:
"Princess Shi is smart and clever, so she will learn it quickly. However, the Wanshou Festival is a big celebration, and there are many relatives, royal family members, and foreign envoys. It is inevitable that there will be some negligence. This old servant will follow..."
"Beng Gege said no."
Shi Rongyue was completely impatient and raised her voice to interrupt the other party. Aunt Zhang's expression froze immediately. At this moment, a weird female voice suddenly came from outside the door:
"Princess Shi is so arrogant that she doesn't even give face to the housekeeper."
As soon as these words came out, Shi Rongyue looked over with a sudden realization:
"Socho Luo Jiahui, why are you here?"