Chapter 131: Spring Pond's First Thaw

That night, Du Shanü had a dream after a long time.

She dreamed of a winter day in her past life, of that lake frozen thick with ice.

The ice surface was like a mirror, coated with frost flowers; moonlight fell upon it and shattered into tinkling silver flakes.

She stood by the shore, silently admiring for a long while, then finally poured a full cup of warm wine into the lake water—

The wine poured in, startling a ripple.

In the water there was a shadow; within the shadow was him.

The ripple, destined not to calm.

The ice cracked with a light sound, like hearing cloth tear.

The sound was extremely fine, extremely brittle, like the lingering tremor when a string snaps.

The crack spread outward from the waist, like a spiderweb, glowing with the light of warm jade in the moonlight.

She held her breath, watching the crack inch by inch spread; finally, the ice surface sank slightly, and water seeped up.

That was spring water.

Not bone-chilling; rather, it was somewhat warm.

The seeping water first spread as a thin layer on the ice surface, then it had a pulse, a breath, a sound.

The ice layer began to loosen; large floes pushed against each other, emitting a dull impact sound, like muffled thunder rolling over distant mountains.

At that moment, the waves began to surge.

Not the violent, briny waves of summer, but the early spring flood waves, carrying broken ice and lingering snow.

Again and again, they scoured the long-frozen riverbank.

The withered grass on the bank was soaked; the soil softened; the cold winter accumulated over more than ten years melted away bit by bit, diffusing into misty vapor.

The floes turned in the water, sometimes sinking, sometimes rising, entwining with the wave crests, playing with the current.

Each impact chipped off a bit of edge; each soaking melted away a bit of chill.

Finally, the lake fell completely asleep.

The ice was gone; only water remained.

It was bottomless, yet under the moonlight it shimmered with fine silver light.

The waves still surged, but no longer scouring; they embraced.

The entire lakeshore was held in the water's embrace, gently and tirelessly.

That night, the water's sound gurgled and murmured, like someone whispering by the ear, and like a voice from far away.

Du Shanü could not hear it clearly.

She only knew that she would forever fall completely into this beautiful dream.

"Saner, the granary has only a thousand shi of grain left, enough for the disaster victims for seven days. The Imperial Court cannot be relied upon; should we intercept next year's grain transport passing through Dun Cheng?"

"...... Mm, good."

"Saner, the Ever-Normal Granary is open, but profiteering grain merchants are hoarding rice at 300 wen per dou; why not simply seal their warehouses and sell at fair prices by force?"

"...... Mm, good."

Outside the window suddenly came a faint rustling of voices, intermittent, as if afraid to disturb something, kept extremely low.

Du Shanü slowly woke in that subtle vibration, her heavy eyelids lifting—

What met her eyes was a blinding sheet of daylight, slanting in through the half-open window shutters, making gold stars dance before her vision; she hurriedly closed her eyes again.

After the dizziness passed, she slowly pushed herself up.

The brocade quilt slipped off, revealing a messy bed.

The pillow askew, under the bed a few pieces of indistinct sleepwear were haphazardly tossed.

Last night's wine cup overturned on the desk, the residual wine long dried; the air still held a rich aroma of mingled fragrance and wine vapors.

Du Shanü only then realized she must have drunk quite a lot of wine last night.

Now, with the sun high at three poles, Chen Weifang again blocked the doorway, making it impossible to go out.

Fortunately, Afang was still asking about official matters, so she didn't mind this brief while.

Thus, she lay down again, focusing her attention to listen closely outside the window...

On the window paper, two silhouettes were still conversing.

In the bright afternoon sunlight, a few strokes sufficed to outline their silhouettes clearly.

One was upright and solemn; the other was slender and gaunt.

That slender silhouette, graceful and poised, with a jade-like profile, was clearly her Chinu.

Du Shanü was about to savor it as she had the previous night, but the more she listened, the more something felt off—

What nonsense is Afang making the servant say?

Earlier, when she woke, Afang's words had been fairly ordinary.

But now, what does "What to do if the city wall collapses three zhang?" mean?

Is this something that needs to be asked of Chinu?

Not to mention Chinu, even Chen Weifang never before worried about such petty official matters!

Du Shanü racked her brains in vain, but the next instant the answer abruptly fell into her ears.

Chen Weifang seemed finally unable to hold back, covering her mouth with her sleeve, she let out a few muffled laughs:

"...... Saner, your clothes today are truly torn in a most peculiar way."

Chinu: "......"

Du Shanü: "......"

She was saying.

Why does Afang insist on dragging Chinu around to chatter on and on today......

Turns out this old brat saw it all along, just hiding here, scheming something bad.

Can Chinu even tolerate that?

As a matter of fact, Chinu really did put up with it.

The autumn breeze blew through the hall, the silhouette on the window fluttered slightly for a few breaths, as if it had also carried away all of Chinu's bad temper.

After just a breath, Chinu softly begged for mercy:

"Afang, even though I usually have abundant energy, I also have my limits. I'm really exhausted today; if you keep chattering on about these trivial matters, I won't keep you company."

On the window, another upright and solemn figure gave a few light laughs before softening her tone:

"All right, all right, I'm not teasing you."

"I'll go boil a few red eggs myself to celebrate; remember to eat them later~"

Chinu: "......"

Du Shanü: "......"

The red eggs are still fine.

No wonder they say cultured people have sharp tongues; with such teasing, who could stand it?

Du Shanü curled her toes in frustration and simply closed her eyes, pretending to be dead.

The faint chatter outside gradually faded, and shortly after, the light footsteps drifted away.

Immediately after, the door was gently pushed open, then softly closed——

That soft "click" of the lock engaging was especially clear in this quiet afternoon.

Then came the rustling of clothes falling to the floor, one piece after another, soft yet hurried.

The corner of the blanket was lifted from outside, a cool breeze slipped in, carrying the familiar, wanton scent from last night.

The bed sank slightly as a warm body pressed against her back.

A hand reached over, tentative yet placating, lightly resting on her waist, fingertips slightly curled, as if afraid she'd push it away, not daring to press firmly.

She didn't move, nor did she open her eyes.

The person behind her drew even closer, the tip of his nose lightly brushing her nape, his breathing somewhat hurried, hinting at heat, yet he still restrained himself.

Just because he could restrain himself didn't mean Du Shanü could.

She reached back with her hand, her fingertips touching his wrist.

Chinu probably hadn't expected her to be awake; he trembled slightly, but didn't dodge.

Thus, her hand naturally slid up his arm, caressing his shoulder, and finally came to rest on his cheek.

His skin was slightly cool, his jaw tightened a little, awaiting a verdict——

What happened last night is already last night.

He didn't know...... whether she would acknowledge him.

After all, she's always been that kind of person.

Du Shanü didn't speak, only slightly rose and flipped him over, pinning him down.

The moment their eyes met, Chinu's eyelashes fluttered, his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but Du Shanü's kiss sealed them shut.

That soft, warm sensation slid between their lips, as if they were savoring something precious.

He froze for a moment, then responded obediently, a soft sigh escaping his lips, as if he had finally let go of his worries.

She exerted a little pressure, taking his lower lip into her mouth, her tongue tracing the line of his lips, lingering and slow.

His whole body relaxed, his hand sliding from her waist to her back, loosely embracing her, obedient and compliant.

This kiss lingered like honey that won't melt, its ambiguity spreading inch by inch as their lips and tongues entwined.

Her breath brushed his face, his exhale fell on her lips, their temperatures overlapping into a scorching heat.

When she finally pulled back slightly, a thin mist of moisture had already gathered in his eyes.

Sunlight streamed outside the curtains, casting his outline onto the gauzy canopy.

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing his brow ridge——

That brow ridge was finely shaped—high and elegant, its lines gently tapering to the space between his brows, without a hint of harshness.

Above his brows and on his cheeks, each bore a tiny mole, faint in color, like ink spots accidentally blotted on rice paper.

Her fingertip pad slid down the bridge of his nose, stopping at the right side of his tip.

There, too, lay an even smaller mole, darker in hue, set upon his fair skin, making it especially distinct.....

Stripped of his cool reserve, Chinu's face showed utter tenderness and kindness.

Even the space between his brows held an innate, obedient affection.

Those three scattered moles seemed like an inadvertent flourish of a passionate liaison.

It was quite ambiguous.

She couldn't help but lean in again, planting an extremely light kiss on the mole on his nasal bridge.

His breath hitched suddenly, his ears flushed red, and his hand unconsciously tightened around her waist.

They shared another kiss; Chinu drew a shallow breath and then suddenly said:

"Wife Master, please indulge me once more?"

"Chinu will take care of Ruansizong for you."

?? Pàn: Pàn hé, meaning sexual union. Pàn: wanton, unrestrained.

? Píng tiào: When the state faces famine and grain shortage, it sells the grain stored in granaries at fair prices.

? If Shasha's work number is 001, then Chinu's work number is 002.

? 002 has been running back and forth on the front lines of the city siege, nearly exhausted; let him have a bite first~