CH 43

Lin Wei Xi was happy for a moment, but as she suddenly thought of the events in the book, her joy immediately clouded over. Her smile faded and Gu Hui Yan was sharp enough to notice this. His gaze shifted and he asked, his voice deep, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.” Lin Wei Xi shook her head. She didn’t intend to mention this to him. After all, the events in the heavenly book were too unimaginable. Frankly speaking, she was chasing wind and shadows and speculating about events that hadn’t occurred yet. But when she looked into his eyes, she wholly trusted him, not knowing why. It seemed like no matter what happened, she could depend on the person in front of her. Lin Wei Xi was gradually put under a spell as she looked at Gu Hui Yan, and she hesitated in asking, “my Prince, what kind of person do you think Grand Secretary Zhang is?”

Gu Hui Yan’s gaze changed abruptly and he even looked a little surprised. He initially assumed that his little wife had let her imagination run wild again. She seemed to easily get caught up in memories and sometimes mourned some things in her life, as if something similar but bad had happened to her before. This was absolutely undesirable for her growth. Gu Hui Yan kept these things to himself and didn’t normally talk about them. He thought the same thing was happening today, but he didn’t expect to hear this question from her.

If she could ask such a question, then the answer she wanted was definitely not something related to Zhang Xiao Lian’s poetry and literature, him personally attending to all the government affairs, or him laboriously teaching the Emperor. Gu Hui Yan felt it was strange. Given her age and experience, she shouldn’t have been exposed to this level of political affairs. Gu Hui Yan asked what was on his mind, “Why do you ask?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that, when I saw the Emperor today, I suddenly realized that His Majesty has grown so tall and is almost the same height as me. He will probably be taller than me next year, so I feel a bit rueful.” Lin Wei Xi answered nervously. When she said this in front of Prince Yan, she felt quite like she was displaying her small skills in front of an expert. She peeped at him and asked carefully, “my Prince, my thoughts aren’t detailed but I decided to explain them to you. Do you find them laughable?”

“No.” Gu Hui Yan laughed in spite of himself and couldn’t resist reaching across the table to pat her head. “Why would I? It’s great that you thought of this.”

The young emperor grew older day by day, but the three regent ministers were still in charge of government affairs. Under the lively and vibrant facade, tensions were already brewing. Unfortunately, those of the imperial court remained wilfully ignorant and immersed in this flourishing era and their vanity. Perhaps even Zhang Xiao Lian himself never thought this would be a problem. It was very rare to come across a sixteen-year-old girl like Lin Wei Xi who could think like this after just entering the palace.

Gu Hui Yan’s expression darkened. He realized that Lin Wei Xi, who was sitting right next to him, was looking at him nervously with damp eyes, as if the sky was going to collapse at that moment. He smiled softly and his imposing aura relaxed, “that day is still far. We can enjoy at least five more years of peace. What are you worried about? Besides, even if the day comes, I will be here. Nothing will happen.”

Lin Wei Xi forced herself to get up early and insisted on personally helping Gu Hui Yan into his first-rank Prince court dress. He noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed, clearly not completely woken up yet. She only wore the inner lining◇ to her clothes and she shivered slightly as she helped him change. Even though the earth dragon was burning, the early winter morning was freezing. Gu Hui Yan pitied her since she was still half-asleep and felt sorry that she’d catch a cold standing outside. He asked her to go back to sleep several times but she shook her head and declined. It was her first time doing this for a man. Because he held a high status, his court dress was rather complicated. She reached out and strained as she tried to tie his leather belt.

Gu Hui Yan had strong shoulders, a slim waist, and well-proportioned and long legs. He looked tall and dignified when he stood, and anyone could tell at a glance that he was in the military. Lin Wei Xi already looked slim when standing in front of him. But as she wrapped her hands around his waist to tie his leather belt, in only her inner wear with her long hair draped behind her, it seemed like she was trying to hug him. While Gu Hui Yan was immaculately dressed and decked out in the first-rank Prince’s court dress, Lin Wei Xi wore her long hair at the waist, her clothes wrapping around her slim frame. The contrast gave one an indescribably romantic feeling.

Lin Wei Xi felt a little embarrassed as she tied on the leather belt, especially when she clearly felt Gu Hui Yan focusing on her. She didn’t know why, but the movement of her hands were a little flustered and the leather belt stayed twisted for a long time. She grew a little anxious. Attending court was an important event. Being discourteous or late were both serious offences. She was becoming impatient when he suddenly reached out to guide her hand to properly tie the leather belt. The light calluses on his palm were rough as he touched her hand, but it carried a reassuring warmth. Lin Wei Xi blushed a little. She forced it down, took the jade pendant, medal, Bixi◇, etc. and hung them on the leather belt one by one.

It was later than usual by the time she properly helped him into the entire first-rank court dress. Lin Wei Xi took a step back, deeply and intuitively feeling the impact of this outfit. She pursed her lips at Gu Hui Yan and smiled, giving a deep Wanfu salute, “my Prince, I’ve caused you to wait a long time today. This humble one will wait here for you to return.”

Gu Hui Yan couldn’t find his words. He looked at Lin Wei Xi deeply. After a moment, he stepped forward to support her arm and pulled her up with little effort. He raised his hand to her cheek, stroked her chin a few times, then walked away.

When Lin Wei Xi dressed Gu Hui Yan, there were many maids in the room, but no one dared to step up and interfere. The Princess Consort had run around from start to finish to help Prince Yan put on his clothes. He had also been focused on her. Even if he didn’t say anything, everyone knew that he wouldn’t allow them to disturb them.

After Gu Hui Yan left, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did Wan Xing and Wan Yue step forward to support Lin Wei Xi. They asked, “Princess Consort, it’s still early. Do you want to lie down on the bed for a little while?”

Lin Wei Xi looked outside. Although the sky was still dark, at the same time, the Eastern sky was already turning bright. She’d been so sleepy when she first woke up, but after helping Gu Hui Yan change into his court dress, her sleepiness more or less disappeared. She shook her head and said, “I’m wide awake. It’s not proper for me to return to bed. I’ll change my clothes.”