allonlinenovel Chapter 210 The Flowing Moon's Choice
Chapter 210 The Flowing Moon's Choice
Shen Qingtan sat on a short couch in the inner room, casually flipping through Meng An's book while listening to Tingxue's report.
"Second Madam, Second Madam and Third Madam accepted the dried flowers." Tingxue said softly, "Second Madam made tea with jasmine flowers, and Third Madam took a bath with jasmine flowers."
Shen Qingtan frowned. Was there nothing wrong with the flowers, or was the mastermind behind it not the Second Madam and Shen Mingzhu?
The dried flowers sent to each room were from the storeroom and there was nothing wrong with them.
It was specifically used to test the second wife.
"Second Madam, the physician in the manor is from the palace, so his medical skills should be impeccable." Tingxue asked, puzzled, "Could it really be that Liuyue's parents gave it to you out of filial piety? Are they just trying to curry favor by saying they dried it themselves?"
Shen Qingtan said thoughtfully, "Perhaps."
Hearing a noise behind her, Tingxue turned around and saw Zhao Yi walking in.
She quickly stood up and stepped aside, saying, "Second Master."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly and placed the small bamboo basket in her hand on the small table on the short couch.
He asked gently, "It's so late, are you still talking about business?"
Tingxue's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, "I heard that Second Madam is having chest pains and the family physician has examined her. He said it was a heart attack. I came here specifically to ask Second Madam if we could send her one or two tonics."
"Anything delivered to the second branch of the family through my hands must not be food," Shen Qingtan instructed. "First, check if the other branches of the family have sent any gifts, and what kind of things they have, then decide what to send."
Tingxue replied, "Yes."
Then, they left the inner room.
Shen Qingtan glanced at the bamboo basket on the small table, which was covered with a blue cloth, and curiously reached out to lift it: "What is this?"
Inside the basket was a porcelain white fruit plate, filled with several bunches of emerald green grapes.
She said in surprise, "Where did you bring this from? The steward of the estate said it's still very sour and won't be sweet for another half month."
"I saw some grapes in the palace, so I brought some for you." Zhao Yi brought out a fruit platter and placed it in front of Shen Qingtan: "I've tasted them, they're sweet."
Shen Qingtan likes to eat grapes, but she usually doesn't eat at this time of day... A peeled grape is offered to her lips, and the sweet juice covers her lips.
Shen Qingtan opened her mouth and ate without hesitation, then said coquettishly, "I've already washed up, and now I'm eating. I'll have to wash up again later."
Zhao Yi peeled another one and fed it to her, then casually wiped the juice from the corner of her lips with a handkerchief: "I haven't washed up yet, so let's do it together."
Shen Qingtan held a sweet and sour grape in her mouth, gently biting down with her teeth, the juice overflowing her mouth.
"Hmm." She blinked. "I don't need to brush my teeth anymore, just rinse my mouth."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi's gaze involuntarily fell upon her lips, which were luscious and beautiful.
It was softer than he had imagined.
Shen Qingtan felt her face burning under his gaze, and she lowered her head uncomfortably, turning to a page of her book.
Although Zhao Jue had character flaws, he cherished books.
When I looked through it, there was no damage at all, and no random annotations were made on it.
It was clean and tidy, looking brand new.
Zhao Yi looked at the book she was holding: "You like Meng An's books?"
Shen Qingtan nodded and casually asked, "You like it too?"
Zhao Yi hummed in agreement: "Old Meng's books are unique copies, and even copies are extremely difficult to find. The fact that you were able to find this original shows how much you truly cherish them."
Shen Qingtan remained silent.
Zhao Yi noticed her unusual behavior and unexpectedly remembered that she had taken a box of items from Zhao Jue, including many books.
There was a time when his health was extremely poor, and he was basically bedridden.
Only when the situation improves slightly can he get out of bed and walk around the room a few steps.
It was at this time that Zhao Jue came to visit him. Each time, he would bring a few books with him. Before leaving each time, he would ask him which books he liked, and the next time he would definitely bring the books that Zhao Jue named, and then ask him for his opinions on the books.
He was probably suffering terribly from the illness, and having someone to talk to helped him distract himself and relieve some of the pain. So he patiently answered Zhao Jue's questions.
Zhao Jue seemed to have changed his attitude, listening very attentively.
Zhao Yi asked, "Do you have any books here such as the Guide to the South, the Waterways Classic, or the Histories of the Warring States?"
When Shen Qingtan heard Zhao Yi mention five or six book titles, all of which were books she had given to Zhao Jue, her expression became increasingly strange.
An absurd thought popped into her head, and she tentatively asked, "Do you want to read these books... or have you seen these books somewhere before?"
"I've seen it," Zhao Yi said gently. "My third brother gave it to me to cheer me up."
Shen Qingtan pursed her lips, fiddling with the red bean bookmark, and said in a low voice, "When he gave me a gift, Shen Liu asked me to return the favor. I didn't know what he liked, so I asked him a few questions and learned that he liked these books, so I asked someone to find them for him."
Now that the conversation had reached this point, Shen Qingtan knew the topic was sensitive and might upset Zhao Yi, but it was necessary to explain things clearly to him.
“He is a military officer.” Zhao Yi wiped his fingers clean with a handkerchief and said with a smile, “He said he likes reading, but he’s just trying to please you.”
Shen Qingtan realized that Zhao Jue was a military general and didn't like reading.
He lent all these books to Zhao Yi.
Were all the insights he shared in the past obtained from Zhao Yi?
It's no wonder she made such a guess; the last time she asked Zhao Jue about a historical anecdote, his answer was different from the one he gave when they were young.
At the time, she suspected that Zhao Jue was deliberately trying to please her.
Looking back now, Zhao Jue's answer when he was young was very likely not his true opinion.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan felt complicated and looked at Zhao Yi with some unease, afraid that he might mind.
"you……"
"You went to great lengths to find books for me without my knowledge," Zhao Yi said gently, seeing through her thoughts. "I haven't thanked Madam yet."
Shen Qingtan was taken aback.
Zhao Yi raised his hand and gently stroked her soft hair: "Our fate was destined from the very beginning."
Shen Qingtan felt a warmth in her heart; he always had a way of comforting people.
Upon reflection, she realized that Zhao Jue hadn't read a single one of the books she had collected; they were all meant for Zhao Yi. This made her feel much better.
The next moment, she frowned, as if she had thought of something.
Zhao Yi asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Qingtan said, "You didn't wash your hands before touching my hair."
Zhao Yi: "..."
Seeing Zhao Yi's speechless expression, Shen Qingtan smiled brightly: "I don't mind."
Zhao Yi knew she was just being playful and teasing him on purpose.
He smiled helplessly, fed her a few more grapes, put her shoes on, and took her hand to wash up together.
-
On the eve of the end of the month, Shen Qingtan increasingly noticed that the atmosphere in the room had changed.
She stood by the window of the inner room and could clearly see Liuyue lingering at the door, as if she had something to say to her.
After returning from her parents' home, Liuyue was preoccupied with worries. As the end of the month approached, she became increasingly unsteady and made several mistakes due to her absent-mindedness.
Shen Qingtan valued Liuyue and Tingxue highly; they were her right-hand women, and the last thing she wanted to see was her mistress and servants turn against each other.
She didn't summon Liuyue for questioning, waiting for Liuyue to make a decision... whether or not she would betray her.