EBE Chapter 238 The Little Pleasures Between Two People
Chapter 238 The Little Pleasures Between Two People
Two days later, in the Southern Kingdom.
After learning of Zhu Yao and the others' plan, Nangong Jin and the others became very alert and prepared for battle.
However, for two consecutive days, the other party remained silent.
The Regent's Palace, Study.
Lin Shu was discussing the strategy with Nangong Jin and officials from his camp in the study.
After confirming that there were no abnormalities, Nangong Jin glanced around at the crowd below with satisfaction, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Shu, who was wearing a mask, and said in a deep voice: "I have made all the preparations on my side. How is the situation on Shu'er's side?"
Lin Shu nodded, her tone calm: "Everything is ready."
"Excellent! Now everything is ready, only the final push is needed!" After saying this, Nangong Jin lowered his head and stared at the "Chronicles of Nanli Kingdom" in his hand, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes, and said slowly:
"The 'Banquet for Outstanding Talents' is about time to be held. Tomorrow, I will go to the palace to meet the young emperor, so that this favorable wind can blow over us!"
The "Chronicles of Nanli Kingdom" records various grand days in Nanli. Nangong Jin has studied it many times. Among them, only the "Banquet for Outstanding Talents" is worth making a fuss about. After all, in previous years, this event has been entirely handled by Nangong Jin. He only needs to inform the young emperor to attend the banquet.
The "Banquet for Outstanding Talents" is intended to select those from Nanli who possess both literary and military talents to participate in the annual grand court assembly of Fengming Kingdom.
With the year drawing to a close and the Four Nations Grand Assembly imminent, each nation is now selecting its participants.
As the Imperial Advisor, Zhu Yao is required to attend unless absolutely necessary; even if she doesn't attend, Nangong Jin has already devised a plan, so she will definitely attend this banquet.
As long as Zhu Yao attends the banquet, they will make her 'kill the king,' and she will never return.
After dealing with Zhu Yao and the young emperor, Nangong Jin will step in to suppress the officials and noble clans; Lin Shu and the Wushuang Pavilion will be responsible for creating public opinion and appeasing the common people.
In this way, Nangong Jin could rightfully ascend the throne...
After carefully checking all the details again, everyone left one after another through the side gate of the Prince's Mansion.
Soon, only Lin Shu and Nangong Jin remained in the room.
"Knock knock knock..."
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Nangong Jin said after slowly taking a sip of tea.
"Squeak." The door was pushed open from the outside.
A tall, slender figure with half-tied black hair and dressed in glittering gold walked in from outside the door, backlit by the light. He first bowed respectfully to Nangong Jin and said, "Father."
Nangong Jin smiled at the newcomer and said, "Jing'er is here, get up quickly..."
"Ah Shu~"
Xu Jingyun's voice, tinged with barely suppressed excitement, cut off Nangong Jin's words to her as he asked her to get up.
Nangong Jin's smile froze. When she came to her senses, she found that her son had already walked quickly to Lin Shu's side and sat down. He picked up the teacup that Lin Shu had drunk from, brought it to his lips and took a sip, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Shu.
Perhaps because Nangong Jin was present, they didn't do anything else intimate, but their gazes were already quite explicit.
The teacup was set down, but a layer of bright red lipstick mark remained on the rim of the cup facing Lin Shu.
Lin Shu glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, seemingly unintentionally, and a thought struck her: Lip rouge? If she's wearing lip rouge, does that mean she's also wearing rouge on her face?
Suddenly remembering Xu Jingyun's alluring flushed face last time, Lin Shu looked towards Xu Jingyun's face, but unfortunately it was blocked by the mask and she couldn't see anything.
A flash of regret crossed Lin Shu's eyes, and her fingers, hidden in her sleeves, unconsciously began to rub together.
Then, without making a sound, she picked up the teacup, and drank the tea in one gulp, focusing on the lipstick stain on the rim.
With a smile in her eyes, Xu Jingyun stretched out her index finger and circled it along the rim of the cup.
"Ahem... Jing'er!" Nangong Jin looked at his son, who had a flirtatious expression, and Lin Shu, who was aloof, and was unaware that this was a little flirtation between the two. He spoke up rather awkwardly.
Xu Jingyun and Lin Shu's attention were drawn to it.
Xu Jingyun asked in confusion, "Father?"
"Cough! It's nothing." Looking at the two completely different masks and the two completely different pairs of eyes looking at him with suspicion, Nangong Jin was at a loss for words.
So he got up, flicked his sleeves, and made an excuse to leave the study, leaving the two of them alone.
After everyone left, Xu Jingyun raised her eyebrows and smiled:
"This is the first time I've ever seen my father look so embarrassed!"
Having said that, without waiting for a reply, he stood up, grabbed Lin Shu's hand, and, looking at the sunlight streaming through the window, continued:
"Ah Shu, the weather looks nice today, why don't you come for a walk with me?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Shu frowned slightly, neither agreeing nor refusing, seemingly deep in thought.
Seeing this, Xu Jingyun knew that Lin Shu was still worried that the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion might be a threat to her, so she gently shook Lin Shu's hand and said softly:
"Ah Shu, I know what you're worried about! But haven't we been safe and sound these past two days? Besides, it won't be easy to catch me! Not to mention, Ah Shu is here with me..."
In the end, Lin Shu was persuaded by him, and the two bid farewell to Nangong Jin and left the mansion.
The carriage slowly drove away, heading towards the bustling city.
Unbeknownst to them, after the carriage left the section of road leading to the Prince's Palace, the women dressed as beggars exchanged glances and then headed off in another direction.
One of the beggars with dark spots followed the carriage at a distance...
……
Lin Shu accompanied Xu Jingyun straight to a very luxurious shop. The shop was filled with a dazzling array of goods, all of which were uniquely and exquisitely crafted...
Xu Jingyun looked around, then waved his hand and bought a lot of things, many of which didn't seem suitable for him. But Lin Shu saw that he was happy with his purchases and didn't stop him. She silently paid for the items in the back.
At the same time, Lin Shu also carefully selected quite a few items, all of which she planned to bring home to her husband.
Xu Jingyun naturally saw her actions, but didn't say anything. She just looked at what the other person had chosen, then looked at what she had chosen, and raised an eyebrow!
Her taste is remarkably similar to Ah Shu's!
After leaving the shop, Xu Jingyun looked at Lin Shu's calm expression, thought for a moment, and suddenly took out a clear white jade hairpin from the things she had just bought, held it up to her hair, and asked:
"Ah Shu, is it pretty?"
Lin Shu pursed her lips. She was beautiful, of course, but she didn't quite match him—
The white jade hairpin exudes a cool and aloof air, while A-Yun is noble and refined; when paired together, they inevitably appear somewhat contradictory.
After a long while, Lin Shu finally nodded: "It looks good."
"Really?" Xu Jingyun's lips curled into a half-smile, her tone teasing.
Lin Shu was a little confused for a moment, but nodded again: "Mm."
Upon seeing this, Xu Jingyun first chuckled, then feigned distress as she looked at the white jade hairpin in her hand, and said with a regretful yet teasing tone:
"Tsk! What a pity! I thought this hairpin would match the temperament of A-Shu's husband, Su Mu, so I chose it as a gift for him, but A-Shu said it looks better on me! So I guess I won't give it to him!"
Ah! Right! There are also some for other people, A-Shu, please take a look and see if they look good on me. If they all look good on me, then I won't give them away... What do you say, A-Shu~”
(Xu Jingyun is the oldest among Su Mu and the others, and since she has not yet married Lin Shu, all of Lin Shu's husbands call her by her first name.)
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