Chapter 383: Comforting Whispers in the Boudoir

Jin Ling, Xinglong Lane, the old Jia residence.

A carriage drove into the lane and stopped at the western corner gate of the Jia mansion. Two personal guards accompanying the carriage stepped forward and knocked on the door ring.

When the servant who opened the door came out, they only said they were personal guards of the Count of Lord Weiyuan, acting under the Count's orders to bring someone to retrieve his belongings.

The servant was a bit confused when he heard this, seeing a young girl with a slim figure, bright eyes, white teeth, and a beautiful appearance get off the carriage.

She stood beside the carriage, her large eyes turning back and forth, curiously examining the tall and ancient gate of the old residence.

The servant couldn't figure out the situation, and since he couldn't make a decision, he went to report to the steward, Jin Cai.

When Jin Cai heard the message, he hurried out. Because of Jia Cong's affairs, Jin Cai had been muttering to himself for the past few days.

Some time ago, Jia Cong had his personal attendant, Jiang Liu, return to pass a message, saying that due to busy official business, he would not return to the mansion every day.

After that, for many days, Jia Cong had not returned to the mansion to spend the night. Jin Cai had been worried about this, and since he hadn't seen him for these days, he didn't know the truth of the matter.

Jin Cai did recognize the two personal guards accompanying the carriage; they were among the guards who had escorted Jia Cong back to the mansion from the pier that day.

The personal guards also brought a note written by Jia Cong. Jin Cai recognized that it was Jia Cong's handwriting, and it couldn't be wrong at all.

Seeing that a young lady had also come along, he called his wife out to receive her.

Jin Cai's wife also looked surprised. That Cong Sanye hadn't been home for many days, and finally, there was some news, but he didn't come back himself; instead, a young lady came to the door.

Jin Cai's wife smiled and asked: "Young lady, you came to help our Cong Sanye retrieve things, but I see you are a new face. I don't know what your relationship is with our Cong Sanye..."

The young girl smiled brightly, charming and lively, and said indifferently:

"It was Brother Cong who let me... oh, it was the Cong Sanye who let me come over to help him retrieve some luggage. I am your Cong Sanye's maid."

Jin Cai's wife was stunned when she heard this. The Cong Sanye didn't come to Jin Ling alone; when did he get an extra maid?

Could it be that he bought her in Jin Ling and didn't have time to bring her home?

This is hard to say. That master is excellent in everything, but he seems a bit absurd when it comes to women.

Last time he came to Jin Ling, he hadn't been there for two days before he bought a very pretty maid from outside.

Jin Cai's wife still remembers it clearly. That maid had a red mole between her brows and looked like she had walked out of a painting. Her own daughter could be considered pretty, but compared to that maid, she was inferior.

She didn't expect that this time the Cong Sanye came to Jin Ling again, he would repeat his old tricks and find such a pretty girl to be a maid. His ability to attract women was catching up to his ability to study.

Jin Cai's wife was curious, so she followed the girl to Jia Cong's courtyard.

Jin Cai's wife saw that although the girl was pretty and bright, and still had a childish air, she had a very straightforward and bold personality. After entering the deep inner courtyard of the Jia family, she didn't show any stage fright.

After entering Jia Cong's room, she looked back and forth several times, neatly organized the books and clothes, and let the maids in the courtyard put them neatly into the luggage boxes.

She also asked Jin Cai's wife to call some people over, directing them to move the boxes onto the carriage. Although she was not old, she did things with great energy, neatly and efficiently, and had some rules.

Finally, she stood on tiptoe, took the curved saber that Jia Cong hung on the wall, held it in her arms, and hummed a little tune as she left the inner courtyard.

Jin Cai and his wife watched the carriage leave, still staring at each other, full of questions.

Jin Cai's wife said: "The Cong Sanye has only been back to Jin Ling for a few days, and he is not going to live in the mansion anymore. I don't know where he found such a maid."

"I say, Master, this master is good at everything, but he is too noisy in this regard. He is not young anymore. Why doesn't the Old Lady find him a marriage to settle his heart?"

"At least arrange two people in his room for him, otherwise he is always tossing outside, which doesn't look like anything."

"I think he must have taken a fancy to some woman outside and is reluctant to come back to live."

Jin Cai glared at his wife when he heard this, frowned and said: "You just shut up. You talk too much about the master's affairs."

"Your daughter-in-law was involved in these things and implicated the Cong Sanye. She is still farming in the farm now."

Jin Cai's wife spat when she heard this and said: "That woman deserves to be mentioned. She actually instigated Yuanyang to be a concubine for the Great Master. She didn't even look at that man who was already half-buried."

"A black-hearted woman, she deserves to be sent to the farm by the Lady to suffer. Even if Yuanyang wants to marry the masters of the mansion, she should marry someone like the Cong Sanye, that is a good master. How can she be promised to others randomly?"

"Didn't my daughter say in her letter that it was the Cong Sanye who came forward to protect her safety? Do you think the Cong Sanye has taken a fancy to Yuanyang..."

Jin Cai glanced at his wife and said: "Sigh, you should dream less. The Cong Sanye is not someone who has never seen a woman. The two personal maids he brought when he came to Jin Ling last time."

"And this little girl today, which one is not prettier than Yuanyang? He doesn't need to use this to hook Yuanyang. He helped Yuanyang mostly because he didn't get along with the Great Master."

"And the Cong Sanye leaving the mansion, you must not talk about it outside. Maybe the Cong Sanye is going to do something big. If you annoy the Cong Sanye, it's not worth it."

Jin Cai's wife muttered, what nonsense is the master talking about? Being reluctant to come back because of attracting women outside can also be called doing big things. It is really a man's mouth, a deceitful ghost.

……

Jin Ling, Yumin Lane.

In the main room of the small courtyard, Jia Cong carefully read the documents Zou Min'er gave him.

Baozhu asked people to carry the boxes moved from the Jia family into the main room, and placed the books and clothes in the boxes one by one in the room according to the appearance of the Jia family courtyard.

The door was gently pushed open, the skirt swayed, the dangling hairpin turned, and there was a faint fragrance floating.

But she saw Keqing bring in a few pieces of freshly washed clothes.

She put the clothes on the bed, organized the things Baozhu had placed, and looked up at Jia Cong, who was working hard at the desk, somewhat dazed.

When they were in the Ningguo mansion, both were limited by their respective identities and rarely had the opportunity to meet normally.

Later, that kind of thing happened, and she hid in Jin Ling for two years. The two were separated in two places and never met again.

She never thought that one day they would be so close and live under the same roof.

This should have been something that made her very happy, but now it was very different from two years ago.

Jia Cong, sitting at the desk, seemed to feel something, looked up and saw Keqing looking at him somewhat dazed.

Baozhu suddenly felt that the atmosphere in the room had become a bit strange, stuck out her tongue, went out of the room silently, and closed the door behind her.

Keqing saw Jia Cong smile at her and got up from the desk.

She asked: "Are you going to Gusu to handle important official business?"

Jia Cong sat down beside her and said: "I have received a secret imperial decree to supervise Zhou Zhengyang's case. Now I have found some clues and need to go to Gusu to find an important person."

"I will be back in two or three days, hoping to gain something."

Keqing smiled slightly, with some loneliness in her words, and said: "You are very capable. Maybe you can solve the case when you come back, and then you will have to return to Shenjing to report the decree."

"I don't know how long it will be until you come to Jin Ling next time."

"Sometimes I think, if you were not a member of the Jia family of Rongguo, not a Count, and not an official, and we had Sister Xiu, and lived in this mansion for a lifetime, how good that would be."

Jia Cong heard her gentle voice, and her voice became low at the end, almost inaudible, as if she were just saying it to herself.

Probably she felt that such a thing, although it was her heart's desire, could never come true.

Jia Cong smiled and grabbed her hand, gently kneading her soft and slender jade fingers, just like silent pity and comfort.

On Keqing's pretty face, which was as moist as jade, a drunken red gradually appeared, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

She had already leaned on his shoulder unconsciously, and her whole body relaxed, just like a ship that had been tossed for a long time, finally returning to the harbor where it could rest, and the air was filled with an intimate and fragrant atmosphere.

Jia Cong said: "Keqing, there will always be such a day. You don't have to stay in Jin Ling alone. We will all be like today, wanting to be together, without worrying about what others think."

Keqing didn't open her eyes, just smiled: "I am not a child, you don't have to coax me. If you said this before you went to Liaodong, I might have taken it seriously."

"But now you are different. The Emperor has granted you a hereditary Count title, and you carry the glory and wealth of the Jia family for generations. You are the Count of Lord Weiyuan who is watched by everyone..."

"I have always known that you are capable, but I didn't expect you to be so capable..."

Keqing's voice carried joy and pride, but also contained deep sorrow.

"If you were still that seventh-rank minor official, I would still have delusions in my heart, but now it is impossible."

"I am just a divorced woman. If others always think about the past, we are even a generation apart."

"You are now a Count. Although you have glory and wealth, you cannot be as casual as before. The laws of the country and the rules of the clan cannot be neglected."

"When I married into the Ningguo mansion, I didn't want to ruin your future. Now that you have finally achieved such great success, I don't want to leave you with any gossip because of myself."

Jia Cong thought of the year when he was transcribing Buddhist scriptures in the Anding Temple. From that time on, Keqing often found excuses to accompany him to transcribe scriptures, and the two always spent time together.

She seemed to have never asked him for anything from beginning to end.

Jia Cong reached out and hugged Keqing's soft waist, held her in his arms, and said: "The laws of the country and the rules of the clan cannot control what kind of woman I like."

"Maybe you are right, but there is nothing in the world that does not change. When I was in the east courtyard of the Jia family, I was scolded and abused by my biological father and legal mother every day, and almost lost my life."

"At that time, I didn't think I would have today."

"I can't give you a result now, which doesn't mean I can't in the future. In fact, if you think about it carefully, there is nothing impossible in this world."

Keqing heard this, still leaning in his arms, and smiled: "You are already a Count at such an age, are you not satisfied? Do you want to do something extraordinary?"

Jia Cong smiled: "Life in the world is entangled with a hundred things, with a hundred concerns, and no freedom. What is the fun in that?"

"In the future, we must achieve a state where no one can control us. Whatever I want to do, I can do it. Whatever should be satisfactory will be satisfactory. That is the most extraordinary thing!"

Keqing smiled in his arms: "If you want to be so free, I am afraid that being a Count is not enough."

"Although I know you are coaxing me with good words, I love to hear it. After you return to Shenjing, I won't be able to hear it."

Jia Cong suddenly called: "Keqing."

Qin Keqing was still leaning in his arms, and responded somewhat confusedly: "Hmm."

Separated for a long time, she enjoyed the feeling of relying on each other. If it could always be like this, it would be the best.

But then she heard Jia Cong say: "I thought of that incense room behind the Buddhist hall in the Anding Temple."

Qin Keqing's delicate body couldn't help but jump. She lifted her body from his arms, remembered what happened with Jia Cong in that incense room, and her body and mind felt slightly soft.

Before she could react, she was hugged by Jia Cong, and her delicate and soft lips were covered by a warmth.

The room was filled with a sweet and intoxicating fragrance, flowing pulse by pulse.

It seemed like a clear spring sobbing, fine rain whispering, spring swallows neck-to-neck, shedding winter feathers, telling each other infatuated words...

It also seemed like undulating mountains, extending beautiful lines, flying birds returning to the forest, immersed in it, unwilling to leave for a long time.

(One thousand words deleted here, the review killed the talent, mourning...)

……

After a long time, Keqing suddenly grabbed Jia Cong's hand and pushed him away with all her strength.

She said softly: "Brother Cong, no... Sister Xiu said... you are not yet twenty years old, this will hurt your body and break your cultivation."

Jia Cong: "..."

He said somewhat helplessly: "Keqing, Sister Xiu really cares about me!"

Keqing couldn't help laughing, and said: "That is not caring about you the most. Even the secret method that the female teacher does not pass on to male disciples, she taught you wholeheartedly. When you were practicing..."

She said somewhat unconvinced, pouted and pinched Jia Cong's waist. That day Qu Hongxiu passed on the cultivation, Keqing remembered clearly, that method of practicing Qi had to go through the acupoints here.

"Sister Xiu said, you... are still young, and at the critical point, you cannot be absurd. Let me persuade you more. If things are ruined, I won't have the face to see her."

Jia Cong retorted: "You listen to her words very well, why don't you listen to mine?"

Keqing covered her mouth and laughed softly: "I love to hear your good words, why should I listen to your nonsense?"

Slowly, the sound in the room stopped. Keqing tidied up a little, pushed Jia Cong to sit on the edge of the bed, helped him tidy up his clothes, and helped him carefully comb his messy hair bun again.

When Keqing opened the door of the main room and went out with Jia Cong, she just saw Qu Hongxiu coming out of the left side room.

Qu Hongxiu saw the shape of the two, her bright and charming eyes flowed with waves, revealing a suspicious expression.

Jia Cong was dressed properly, looking normal, and Keqing's clothes were also neat, seemingly no different, except that the hair on her temples was slightly messy.

Her pretty face was blushing, her cherry lips were pink and red, and her pair of bright eyes were full of spring water, flowing and moving, indescribably beautiful and moving.

Qu Hongxiu was also a woman, naturally she could see that Keqing was unusual. She looked at Jia Cong with some annoyance, slightly narrowed her beautiful big eyes, and asked: "What did you... just do?"

Jia Cong's face was awkward, and he blurted out: "Nothing, we didn't do anything."

Keqing was suddenly bumped into by Qu Hongxiu. Although she didn't really do anything with Jia Cong, it was too shameful after all, and her heart was in a panic.

But suddenly hearing Jia Cong's strange words, she couldn't help laughing, walked quickly back to the right side room and closed the door.

In the courtyard, Qu Hongxiu looked at Jia Cong with a smile that was not a smile, and said: "I don't care what absurd things you do. You will go to Gusu in a few days, and it is estimated that it will be delayed for some time."

"Come back early tonight and practice for another hour. Look at your loose appearance."

Jia Cong: "..."

Qu Hongxiu said to the end, it actually tasted like gritting her teeth. After speaking, she turned and entered the left side room again, and the door was closed a bit loudly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 384 =====