Volume 1: Gathering Winds of Splendor Chapter 29: The Emperor's Summons
The clothes that had been taken off carelessly were scattered all over the floor, and the cricket that had been hiding in the sleeve was startled awake, poking its head out and chirping a few times.
"Is this young lady's pet?" Si Jin asked in surprise, looking at the small beast calling out on the ground.
"Yes, remember to find someone to feed it every day, or it will run around everywhere." An Xin stepped into the bathtub and said lazily with her eyes closed. She then slightly raised her voice, "Xi Xi, this is my room, you can run around but don't break anything, otherwise I'll sell you to compensate for my losses."
"Miss, does it understand?" Siyan stared at the small beast on the ground that nodded similarly, her eyes almost popping out in surprise.
"You should be able to understand half of it." He replied perfunctorily, not wanting to make any further explanations.
The two maidservants also stopped talking and went back to their duties, waiting on An Xin as she bathed.
Afraid of getting bored while waiting outside, An Xin took a bath for a moment and got up, then put on her undergarments with the help of Ya Tou. She sat in front of the mirror, and Si Jin handed her a dry towel to wipe her hair dry.
It's so slow, An Xin muttered to herself, when will her hair be completely dry at this rate? She secretly increased her internal energy and slowly stroked her green hair with her hand. In an instant, the heat dissipated, and her half-dry hair became refreshing in less than half a moment.
"Miss, I can also fight. Next time you order me to do it." Si Jin's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration, worthy of being the king's sister, even after leaving the capital for many years, her martial arts skills had not been neglected.
"Ah, give me a simple bun." An Xin nodded in agreement. When she first arrived in this world, she discovered that her body had practiced martial arts and had a good foundation. Later, she cultivated her own Threefold Locks, and with the powerful techniques combined with her original foundation, her internal energy progressed rapidly, catching up to her previous life's cultivation in just five years. To avoid drawing attention, she activated the first lock of the Threefold Locks, pretending to be an ordinary village girl, living a carefree life in the mountains. But good times didn't last long, and before she knew it, she arrived at this imperial palace, which was even more treacherous than her previous world.
"Miss, let me help you put on your clothes first?" Siyan asked. Seeing An nodding, she helped her wear a moon-white gauze skirt, fastened the ring buckle, tied the wide waistband, and wrapped a few feet of light pink silk around her arm.
He calmly let her manipulate him like a puppet, while he sized up the interior of the room.
The interior space is roughly the same size as An Mu Chen's room, but his house exudes a strong and masculine style everywhere, while my own room, from the pear-wood bed to the decorations on the dresser, all convey a elegant and soft atmosphere. The incense burner emits a faint scent of smoke, and near the jade stone bead curtain is placed a soft couch. There are many rare and precious antiques in the room, all of high quality. On one side, a guqin lies on a music stand, and in a blue-and-white porcelain vase stands a simple yet elegant yulan flower.
Brother is very fond of Yulan, and Anxin has made a definition in her heart.
With a calm mind, she put on her clothes and sat down again, letting Si Jin fiddle with her hair nonstop. Soon, the black silk in her hands transformed into a new style, with a high bun and long hair cascading down her shoulders.
It didn't take long for Si Jin to tidy up and look at herself in the mirror with satisfaction, saying, "Miss, you really are very beautiful."
An Xin gazed at the mirror, raising an eyebrow. The mirror in the village couldn't compare to the one in the General's Manor, but now she was carefully examining her reflection. This face didn't resemble her previous life's appearance in the slightest. As she looked for a long time, her past life's features slowly began to fade from memory. Sometimes An Xin even felt that her past life was just an illusion, and her current self was the only real and tangible one.
"Otherwise, I'll put on men's clothes and you can treat me as your brother. How about being my wife?" An Xin stood up, raised his hand to lift Si Jin's chin, with a mischievous smile.
"Miss, you are a girl." Si Jin's pretty face turned bright red, and she stuttered for a long time before muttering.
"Why can't women have a hundred flowers blooming when men still have the habit of being promiscuous?" An Xin's heart was filled with joy, her fingertips slowly stroking his skin, full of playful flavor.
"Ah, Heart, don't be naughty." Just then, An Mochou pushed aside the bead curtain and entered, saw An Xin's playful expression, shook her head slightly, and continued after seeing her withdraw her hand, "News from the imperial palace has arrived, saying that you and your mother are to enter the palace, the Emperor and Empress have summoned you."
Feeling relieved that his first attempt at teasing was interrupted, he looked displeased and flipped his eyelids, walking forward to grab An Mu's arm, "Brother, if you were to dress up as a woman, you would surely conquer the three kingdoms."
An Mu's face turned black when he heard the words, although he didn't fully understand An Xin's comforting words, but that sentence about dressing up as a woman, he had indeed heard it clearly. He couldn't help but get angry and said, "I am a man, how can I dress up as a woman? You're talking nonsense, I'll have to beat you with ten rods." After finishing speaking, without saying another word, he pulled An Xin's hand out of the inner room.
Don't be too quick to lecture others just because you're ten days older, where's the promise you made earlier? A man's words can't be fully trusted.
They arrived at the general's mansion and found a horse carriage already waiting for them. The two of them got on the carriage, where Ling Susu was already seated, dressed up in new attire.
"Mother, you look really beautiful." An Xin looked at Ling Susu, who was dressed in a noble attire and had an even more stunning beauty than before, with a hint of shyness in her eyes as she smiled flatteringly.
"I don't know if I look good or not, but can you be more ladylike from now on?" Ling Susu had obviously noticed An Xinfang's situation when she jumped onto the horse carriage, and helplessly gave a "she's always like this" glance to An Muxuan who was sitting opposite her.
"My sister is true in her feelings, Mother needn't worry." An Mu dust's eyes were filled with warmth as he smiled lightly.
Ling Su felt relieved to see that the brother and sister had not grown apart after nine years of separation. She recalled what An Xin had said on the day she left the village, and made up her mind. Her son was steady, her daughter considerate, what more could she ask for? In life, things don't always go as planned, why be too hard on oneself.
"Yi Ran Yuan", always restless, opened the carriage curtain to observe the scenery on the street. The first thing that caught his eye was a two-story small wooden building with a signboard bearing three gold-plated characters. He couldn't help but read it out loud and asked, "The name is quite elegant, is it a wine house or a place for listening to music?"
Ling Su's face fell, she narrowed her eyes and reached out to grab the restless An Xin, warning, "That is a place where men indulge in carnal pleasures, what is there to see?"
Hong Lou? An Xin's eyes widened with surprise and delight, but then she thought for a moment, wait, isn't it supposed to be called Yi Hong Yuan? And who knows if there's Little Peach Red inside? Excitedly rubbing her hands together, An Xin decided that once she had a good rest the next day, she would start sneaking out at night to explore the legendary kiln!
Digression
Yes, someone will show up tomorrow, ~
