Spring Courtyard Forbidden Pet

When Liuxia came in, Ye Zhen came back to her senses and realized that she didn't know how Li Xuan left.

Seeing that the candle had gone out and there was no movement on the bed, Liuxia tiptoed to the couch and soon fell asleep.

Ye Zhen heaved a sigh of relief when he heard her breathing become even. He tossed and turned until dawn before he fell into a drowsy sleep, only to be woken up by the sound of hitting the board in the temple.

Liuxia couldn't sleep either. She turned over several times and said, "Second Miss, I'll go make some porridge. We still have the snacks from yesterday. Please fill your stomach first so that you can take the medicine later."

Ye Zhen simply stood up, "You go and do your work, I'll wash myself."

Liuxia came in with some hot water, holding a half-opened apricot flower in her hand. The color was still tender. "The apricot flowers in the yard are blooming. They will definitely look good on your hair."

Wearing the mud-colored Taoist robe, Liuxia felt that her master was too depressed at her age, and that she should wear some flowers to liven up her complexion. "When the sun comes out, our clothes can dry up too."

The fresh fragrance of the tender flower branches dispelled the sleepiness between Ye Zhen's brows, and she also smiled brightly.

He immediately picked a flower and put it on Liuxia's head, "It looks good."

Liuxia raised her hand and touched it, smiling with eyes curved, "Thank you, Second Miss."

The master and servant fiddled in the house for a long time. They took the medicine and ate the porridge, but the morning class was not over yet.

Ye Zhen had heard about the Taoist's daily routine, but she didn't expect it to be so regular. He got up at the beginning of the morning hour, listened to the master's lecture in the main courtyard, then meditated for an hour before going to the backyard to have breakfast.

After they went to the backyard, Ye Zhen was finally able to go out and breathe some fresh air.

Yesterday I was so eager to see Li Xuan that I had no time to look at the scenery on the mountain. But now, at a glance, I can see that the steps are covered with green grass and halfway up the mountain is filled with the fragrance of apricot blossoms.

It had been a long time since she had felt the spring days so well. In her previous life, every day she spent wasting her time and energy, and she died in such a miserable way.

She wants to make up for everything in this life. Anyone can live a bad life, but she must live comfortably.

"It seems that the second young lady slept well yesterday and came out early to enjoy the scenery."

Li Xuan had stood with her quietly again without anyone noticing. His gentle and slow voice was like the sound of spring water hitting jade, adding just enough vitality to the splendor of the mountain.

Ye Zhen caught a glimpse of him standing two feet away from her, with one hand behind his back and the other hand holding a string of peach wood beads and gently moving them, looking aloof and indifferent.

With this look on his face, who would believe that he would put his arm around her waist and say those nonsense words yesterday?

What's even more outrageous is that Ye Zhen's face was still as red as it was at the moment when she thought about it later.

"Second Master looks much better than yesterday," she replied calmly.

"Miss, which area do you think has the best apricot blossoms?" Li Xuan pointed. "The east side blooms the earliest, and the west side is the most dense."

Ye Zhen followed the direction of his finger and didn't notice that the two of them moved slightly closer to each other in tacit understanding.

"The east side is just the right density, and although the west side is busy, it looks uneven from a distance."

Li Xuan was silent for a moment, "Actually, the most beautiful place today is neither the east nor the west."

Ye Zhen stood on tiptoe and looked around, but couldn't find it anywhere else.

"You can enjoy the scenery of the entire mountain from here. Where else can you find it?"

She turned her head curiously to look at Li Xuan'an, only to see that his eyes were as clear as phoenixes, his teardrop mole was three points brighter, and he was staring at the top of her head, with a smile at the corner of his lips that was more attractive than the apricot blossoms all over the mountain.

"The most beautiful thing is these three half-opened apricot flowers in your hair."

When Ye Zhen wore them, she arranged them from top to bottom according to the degree of their opening. Her ink-splashed bun was like the majestic background in a landscape painting, with apricot blossoms dotted on it with the vitality of spring, graceful but not overwhelming. Her temperament was cool and tough, which just suppressed the fiery and wildness of the apricot blossoms.

Ye Zhen was still wearing the sunflower-colored outer gown she had worn to the Spring Festival Banquet. Her misty green skirt was slightly wrinkled. She was not as stunning as she was on the farm, but now she was not wearing any makeup. The slight trace of haggardness she had experienced after recovering from an illness made her look like a noble sick beauty against the backdrop of this dress.

Li Xuan'an's eyes meandered down from her hair bun, taking a close look at her eyebrows, eyes, lips and nose.

Ye Zhen's ears were already burning from his words, and now her eyelashes were fluttering like cicada wings, not daring to look directly at him, "Second Master, you are too kind."

The more nervous she was, the more she was able to cover herself up with proper etiquette.

Li Xuan paused while turning his beads. "The Second Miss is calm and resilient beyond her age. This makes me a little curious."

Ye Zhen's heart tightened slightly, but she chuckled and teased, "Second Master already knew that my horoscopes complement those of Madam Ruan, so why didn't you calculate it?"

Her eyes were burning and she seemed to be joking, but she was sweating inside.

Li Xuan finally retracted his gaze and regained his usual calmness and composure. "There are two things that a cultivator must not count: one is not counting oneself, and the other is not counting..."

Ye Zhen listened carefully, but he didn't say anything, which made her feel itchy for no reason.

Just as she was about to ask more, a Taoist boy came from the main courtyard and bowed to Li Xu'an from a distance, respectfully worshipping him as if he were worshipping a Buddha. Ye Zhen had no choice but to step aside, as she couldn't bear this kind of respect.

"I pay my respects to the Imperial Master. The abbot learned that the Imperial Master and Miss Ye are in good health, so he specially prepared a vegetarian banquet and invited the Imperial Master and Miss Ye to come."

Ye Zhen was a little surprised. Invite her?

After Xiao Dao left, Li Xuan asked her, "Do you want to wash up and change clothes?"

Ye Zhen wanted to, but what else could she change into besides the Taoist robe?

"The Taoist temple is quiet, it's better to keep it simple like this."

Li Xuan nodded and said, "I will change my clothes, and the second lady will go over first."

Ye Zhen saw that he was wearing a white robe as clean as snow. Didn’t he change into it today?

Li Xuan looked at her again before leaving, "Take off the flowers on your head too."

The pretext was, "There is a poor Taoist in the temple, so the Second Miss is just doing a good deed."

Ye Zhen disagreed. Could it be that if she wrapped herself up, she could help those Taoists become immortals?

Although he thought so in his heart, he still reached out and plucked the apricot blossoms. "It's my own fault for making mistakes, how can I blame the beauty?"

"Miss Second is right." He lowered his head, the corners of his lips curving a little coldly.

Ye Zhen thought, aren't you happy after I said a few words to him?

The vegetarian banquet was placed in the east room. As soon as Ye Zhen entered, she was warmly greeted by the abbot. She briefly expressed her gratitude and looked at the table under the main seat. It had an extra cloth than the others, and there was also an extra plate of peanut candy on the dishes.

"Miss Ye, please take a seat. The place on the mountain is simple. I heard from the Imperial Master that you like sweets, so I made some peanut candies. They are far inferior to those in the capital, so please don't dislike them, Miss Ye."

The abbot had a kind and amiable face. If Ye Zhen had not heard him complimenting Li Xuan, she would have believed that he was a Taoist who was detached from the world.

"Thank you, Taoist Priest."

Ye Zhen sat down and tasted one, her expression calm, "It's delicious."

The master of the temple could not tell the emotion from her face, and laughed dryly twice, "Ms. Ye is glad that you like it. The guests of the Imperial Master are the guests of Baiyun Temple. I heard that it was you who helped the Second Master escape from the assassins. Miss Ye is the benefactor of the entire Taoist world.

"No wonder the Imperial Master specifically asked Taoist Master Yuchenzi to bring you some snacks."

After hearing this, Ye Zhen understood that the temple master was trying to trick her. No wonder Li Xuan had to turn off the lights when he went to see her at night.

"I was once engaged to my elder brother, the Imperial Master, and I also helped my elder sister with chores at the Marquis' Mansion for a few days. Although I broke off the engagement with General Feihu, I have a certain friendship with the Imperial Master compared to others."

The master of the temple hit a snag again, but he still didn't give up. "Of course it is so. Otherwise, it wouldn't be that Miss Ye happened to see the national master being assassinated."

Ye Zhen's brows almost raised. The time when she left the manor and the time when she met the assassin were very different. She only needed to ask around to know that something was wrong.

If this matter cannot be explained, it will be troublesome when I return to Beijing.