A man with a face like jade wore a moon-white satin cloak with a purple silk robe embroidered with silver thread and four-clawed dragon pattern inside.
He was slightly slender in build, with a pair of eyes as warm and calm as moonlight.
He was holding two books with yellowed pages, which were rare ancient military books privately stored in the General's mansion of Quelling the Nation. He had come to return the books.
The man in purple clothes walked slowly and steadily towards the bookshelf inside, stopping only when he reached where the military books were originally stored.
His slender fingers slowly opened the book beside him and inserted the ancient volume.
Suddenly, through the gaps between the books of varying heights, he caught a glimpse of a woman sitting by the window, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.
The man was startled and wanted to leave immediately.
But then he faintly smelled a dull charcoal smell wafting over.
He furrowed his brow, and his footsteps slowed slightly as he walked forward to investigate.
The woman leaned against the wall with her arms around her chest, resting her head on the windowsill, looking relaxed and seemingly asleep, but her face had an abnormal flush, as if she was ill.
The man glanced over and saw that she had two purple gold tripods placed at her feet, with a steady stream of hot air rising from the tripods, and the smell of charcoal was getting stronger and more pungent, even slightly irritating to the nose.
He took a clear look at the woman's appearance and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
First, they moved away the two charcoal braziers, then opened the windows, and a cool breeze swept in from outside, stirring up a chill.
The woman merely curled up tighter, furrowed her brow and muttered to herself twice before continuing to sleep.
The man waited until the stifling and dizzying smell of charcoal was all gone, then he slightly closed the window, fearing that the wind would blow the window open and wake her up. After thinking for a moment, he took a piece of pastry from the food box beside her and inserted it into the gap between the windows.
Having done all this, he was about to leave when he suddenly heard the woman let out a loud snort in her sleep.
Perhaps his heart had softened a bit, he hesitated for a moment, then took off the moon-white cloak on his body and gently wrapped it around the woman, before turning around and leaving the library without looking back.
After a while, Cui Ying slowly woke up, of course, she was frozen awake.
She stared blankly at the cloak on her body for a while, until she came to her senses and found that this exquisite moon-white cloak seemed too large, like a man's style, and she suddenly jumped up as if she had seen a ghost.
What just happened, she grabbed her head and thought for a long time, but nothing came to mind.
Cui Ling was a bit frantic, she had been allowed by Old Lady and Princess Yining to read books in the library every day.
Because reading requires quietness, so every day Mugen sends her here and then leaves first, until just before lunchtime will come over to pick her up again.
During this time, she was alone in the library.
The mistress of Yining Manor spoke up, and the young servant who took care of the book pavilion knew that Wu Nainai was coming to read books and would always avoid her.
The library was originally a private and heavily guarded place of the Yuan family, and even the guards in the outer courtyard did not dare to come over casually.
Theoretically speaking, at this point in time, apart from her, it's impossible for anyone else to enter here, so she just happened to be carefree and fell asleep like that.
The man's cloak that she had shaken off onto the ground unmistakably announced that someone had been there, and that person was a man!
Choi Yong was anxious and worried, almost in tears.
It wasn't that she felt taken advantage of, in fact, she had carefully checked herself and her clothes were intact, without a single thread or mark of being molested. She believed the man who covered her with his cloak was purely kind-hearted.
The problem is, she's a married woman!
Yuan Wulang had not long ago explicitly warned her in a letter to remember the integrity of women, although she sneered at it, but if someone saw this cloak under her feet, it would be impossible to wash away even by jumping into the Yellow River.
Cui Ling deeply knew that she had no affection for her maternal family, the Anning Bo Fu, and in fact, the Anning Bo Fu was not her strong backing. If she were to be disliked by the Yuan family, then without the support of her maternal family, this matter would also be her fault, and she still had to live with it in the future!
She thought it over and decided to destroy the evidence immediately.
In a corner of the room stood a Qinghua porcelain vase, and Cui Ying kicked the cloak all the way to the front of the vase with her foot, then picked it up with her fingertips and threw it in with disdain.
To ensure that nothing was exposed, she also used the scrolls to tuck her clothes in tightly and arranged them neatly.
She finally let out a sigh of relief after finishing all these in one breath.
After all this, she felt somewhat disheartened.
He picked a few notebooks from the bookshelf and put them in the almost empty lunchbox, then took it back.
She had insisted on coming here to read, just because she was afraid of hearing the old lady in the Taian courtyard repeatedly telling her about Rong's childhood stories, but now that the library is not safe either, it's better for her to go back to her own room obediently.
In any case, hearing about Yuan Wulang's affairs is still better than being suspected of private transactions.
Cui Ling had just walked out of the library when she saw Yuan Dalang. She smiled and greeted him, "Big brother, are you here to find a book?"
She likes Yuan Da Lang very much.
Yuan Dalang, although born with a majestic and powerful appearance, somewhat like the kind of mountain bandit king she had seen in TV dramas before, but he has a gentle personality, meticulous thoughts, and is very tolerant and gentle towards her.
Perhaps both of them lacked fatherly love, Yuan Dalang, who was about the same age as Cui Chengkai, became a substitute for her longing for her father.
Yuan Dalang also quite likes Cui Ying, this new fifth brother and sister not only look good but also especially like his beloved daughter Yue'er, temperament is also like, speaking is also like, even that impulsive momentum is almost the same.
He hasn't seen his beloved daughter for a long time and misses her very much.
Naturally, he then shifted this nostalgia for Yue'er onto his fifth younger sister.
When he looked at his five younger siblings, he always felt like he was looking at his own daughters.
It was precisely because of this goodwill and concern that he hurried over as soon as he heard the news.
Yuan Dalang was anxious but tried his best to pretend nothing was wrong, forcing a smile. "Yes, I came looking for a book. Fifth Brother and Sister, are you returning to the Tai'an Temple? Why isn't there a little maid following you?"
Chui Rong blinked, saying somewhat helplessly, "The weather has turned cold, and the book pavilion is chilly. The Tai'an Temple is warmer, so I think it's better to take the books back and read them there. After all, I'm not someone who needs to rush into studying or experience the hardships of reading by a cold window."
She hesitated for a moment, "It was an impromptu decision, and I haven't told Erniang yet. Mu Jin still thinks I'll be back later."
Yuan Dalang thought for a moment, then pretended to say casually, "If you feel cold, just burn a few more basins of charcoal. Our family is not one that can't afford it. Reading books is still better in a quiet place, like the library, which is also undisturbed."
He paused and asked, "How is it? Usually no one comes to disturb the fifth brother and sister while reading books. Did anyone come over today?"
