noveltune Chapter 5475 Enjoying Snow on the Lake
Chapter 5475 Enjoying Snow on the Lake
Chapter 5475 Enjoying Snow on the Lake
In December of the eighth year of the Renhe era, I went to Qujiang Pool.
After three days of heavy snow, all sounds of people and birds ceased in the pond...
The painted boat sailed on the water, its bow crushing the thin ice that had formed the night before. Snowflakes fell all around, creating a vast expanse of white. Two other small boats patrolled dozens of feet away, serving as watchdogs without disturbing the dignitaries on board.
The cabin had windows on all four sides, all covered with gauze curtains, offering views of the lake while keeping out the cold winds. The petite Princess Jinyang, dressed in a snow-white fox fur coat, was busy at work. The charcoal fire in the red clay stove was burning brightly. She took down the kettle that had been boiling water and brewed a pot of tea. She then took out tea snacks from a carved lacquer food box and placed them on the table. She also opened several other food boxes and placed them aside. The boxes were filled with cleaned vegetables and plates of fresh mutton.
Tie the wine jar to a hemp rope and pass it out the window, hanging it along the gunwale in the icy water, then tie the rope to the window frame...
Fang Jun sat leisurely by the window, sipping his tea, oblivious to everything else.
Princess Jinyang moved with the grace of a butterfly, bustling about without a trace of discontent. On the contrary, she was all smiles and quick-witted, seemingly content to serve Fang Junshi...
After working for a while, Princess Jinyang felt not cold at all, but rather a little feverish. Her fair and beautiful face was flushed. She took off her fox fur coat and wore only a light-colored palace dress. When she bent over and squatted, her waist was as slender as a willow and her buttocks were pert.
Fang Jun took a sip of tea, clicked his tongue, and thought, "The little girl has grown up..."
Princess Jinyang was bending down to take a brass hot pot out of a box when she suddenly turned around and happened to meet Fang Jun's fleeting gaze. She asked in a sweet voice, "What are you looking at, brother-in-law?"
Fang Jun almost choked on his tea, coughed lightly, and looked around: "The snow is so fine today..."
Princess Jinyang gave a coquettish snort, her voice slightly fierce: "Don't look at what you shouldn't see!"
Fang Jun readily admitted his mistake: "Yes, yes, Your Highness, I was wrong. Please forgive me."
"Ha!" Princess Jinyang smiled brightly in an instant, beaming with delight, "So brother-in-law was really looking at me? Am I pretty?"
Fang Jun: "..."
……
Princess Jinyang finished tidying up, sat down opposite Fang Jun, took the teacup he handed her, took a small sip, exhaled, and looked at the snow scene of Qujiang Pool outside the thin gauze curtain. A smile played on her lips as she softly said, "Snow falls into the water, silent and still. Boats sail on the water, as if in a painting... So beautiful."
Fang Jun ate a piece of tea snack and said dismissively, "Everyone says I'm a spoiled brat, but in my opinion, Your Highness is the real pampered playboy who doesn't know the hardships of life."
Princess Jinyang glanced at her sideways, displeased, and said, "Brother-in-law, what makes you say such a thing?"
Fang Jun pointed to the snowflakes falling softly outside the window and said softly, “The wealthy enjoy boating on lakes in the snow, drinking hot tea and fine wine, seeing the world in silver and white, like a fairyland. But for the poor, every longer the snow falls means more cold, unable to go out to work and make a living, and their wives, children, and parents may go hungry for a day. And the soldiers far away on the border have to brave the rain and snow to patrol the frontier and guard against the enemy, every step is a difficult trek… Now I come here, the rain and snow are falling, the journey is slow, I am thirsty and hungry…”
In an era marked by poor transportation, delayed information, and incomplete legal frameworks, every rain and snowfall signified the hardships faced by ordinary people.
Princess Jinyang was not disappointed by this. Instead, her beautiful eyes lit up, she clapped her hands gently, and exclaimed, "My brother-in-law is indeed concerned about the common people and has a compassionate heart. Even though he is in the imperial court, he still cares about the hardships of the people. He is truly an extraordinary man!"
Fang Jun was both amused and exasperated.
This is practically the epitome of a modern-day "fangirl," where every action and gesture of her idol seems to be filtered through a halo, even their farts smell sweet...
"Tell me, why did you invite me out to enjoy the lake scenery today? It's freezing cold with heavy snow falling, and everything around us is a vast expanse of white with nothing to see. I don't know what there is to enjoy."
Princess Jinyang said coquettishly, "Why didn't my brother-in-law go to Xuanqing Temple after returning to Chang'an? I miss him and want to spend more time with him, have a drink, and talk."
Fang Jun said helplessly, "I need to avoid suspicion! I am a Grand Commandant, and countless people in the court and the public are watching me every day. If I go to Xuanqing Temple to look for His Highness when I have nothing to do, who knows what kind of rumors will spread in the market."
Princess Jinyang put down her teacup, lifted a gap in the gauze curtain, looked out the window, and stretched out her slender hand to let the snowflakes fall into her palm, cool and moist.
“I don’t care about those things, and my brother-in-law doesn’t need to care either.”
Fang Jun looked at her beautiful and well-defined profile, sighed, and said, "Why does Your Highness deceive yourself? There is absolutely no possibility of it, whether in terms of ethics or etiquette. Rather than getting stuck in it, you should cut off your feelings and forget the past, and move forward with a light heart."
When the two were together, he always avoided discussing matters of the heart directly, for fear of hurting Princess Jinyang's feelings. For a young girl who was deeply in love and unable to extricate herself, being destined to be apart was a sharp sword that could pierce her heart, enough to cut her heart into pieces and leave it bleeding.
He cherished this beautiful and intelligent girl and couldn't bear to see her heartbroken.
But no matter what, a resolution must be reached.
Princess Jinyang withdrew her hand, placed her palm on the back of Fang Jun's hand, and smiled charmingly: "Brother-in-law, is it cold?"
Fang Jun did not dodge, looking directly into the pair of beautiful eyes in front of him, and said softly, "Life is full of disappointments, and no one can always have everything they want. People experience joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, just as the moon waxes and wanes. Sometimes, knowing how to let go and accept imperfections may not be such a bad thing."
Princess Jinyang remained silent, gracefully rising from her seat, walking around the tea table to Fang Jun's side, and to his surprise, she sat down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in close to hear his voice.
She said, "I don't believe my brother-in-law doesn't see me."
A petite and delicate body snuggled into his arms, her warm and soft body as fragrant as orchids and musk, leaving Fang Jun both surprised and somewhat at a loss.
After a moment of silence, he sighed and said, "Right now, all I see is you... not only that, but even your eye boogers."
Princess Jinyang: "..."
Her delicate body stiffened for a moment, and when she realized it was a teasing remark, her pretty face turned bright red, and she clenched her fists and punched Fang Jun in the chest twice.
She said coquettishly, "How annoying!"
Fang Jun didn't dare to move and said helplessly, "Sit back down first and then we can talk properly."
Princess Jinyang, however, was unusually willful and even somewhat provocative, a rare display of the gentle and virtuous girl's behavior: "Are you very scared?"
Fang Jun said irritably, "I'm a man! A man full of vigor! A beautiful young girl throwing herself into my arms like this, breathing so softly, you're the one who should be scared!"
"I've been hugged like this before when I was a child."
"You know that was when I was a child? Get down right now!"
Princess Jinyang not only ignored her, but blushed, bit her lip, and moved her little bottom to squeeze in and touch it.
Ok……
He really is a bad guy. He speaks so righteously and dignifiedly, but isn't he just indulging in all sorts of delusions?
Fang Jun: "..."
He finally realized that something was wrong with the girl today. Although she would stick to him in the past, she always kept to herself and never broke through the rules of etiquette like she did today. What was she trying to do?
Princess Jinyang's heart pounded. The reason she abandoned her composure was that she finally understood that since this man kept backing down, she had no choice but to charge forward herself, leaving him with no way to escape or avoid him. Otherwise, all her wishes would be in vain.
If you've done everything you were supposed to do, you can't just shirk your responsibilities, right?
Her heart was pounding, she closed her eyes slightly, thinking of those embarrassing poses in the picture book, wrapped her arms around Fang Jun's neck, raised her head and brought her red lips to his.
Her lips, like cherry blossoms, were slightly parted, revealing pearly white teeth, and her breath was fragrant.
"Snapped!"
"Ouch!"
Princess Jinyang, who had not yet succeeded, exclaimed in surprise and stared at Fang Jun with wide eyes.
How dare you hit her there?!
Fang Jun felt the soft, supple, and delicate skin that his palm had just touched, and with a stern face, he scolded, "Go sit down right now, what kind of behavior is this!"
If he doesn't get rid of this girl soon, he'll soon reveal his true colors...
Princess Jinyang retorted angrily, "No way!"
She's already taken such a proactive step, so why doesn't this man seize the opportunity?
Does she really think she's some naive young girl?
But that hard, solid thing below my buttocks was burning hot...
Fang Jun placed his hands on her slender waist, lifted her up with a little effort, took a couple of steps, and then put her back in her seat with a "Duang".
Then he sat back down, let out a long breath, and suppressed all his wandering thoughts.
Princess Jinyang glared at him, said nothing more, and got up to bring over the brass hot pot. She used tweezers to take out charcoal from the red clay stove and put it into the bottom of the pot. She then scooped water from the water vat and poured it into the pot. Finally, she placed plates of prepared vegetables and mutton on the table.
Finally, he stood up, stretched his back, pulled up the wine jar hanging in the lake outside the window, opened the lid, and filled two crystal glasses with amber-colored wine.
Then he raised his glass, smiling, and said, "Cheers!"
Fang Jun readily agreed, raised his glass, clinked it with his own, and took a big gulp. The chilled white wine was refreshing and had an excellent taste, with a rich fruity aroma.
The two stopped talking, and after the water in the pot boiled, they put in various ingredients, stirred them a few times, and then took them out, dipped them in the oil sauce, and put them in their mouths.
Outside the window, snowflakes fluttered and mist hung in the air, while inside the cabin, the air was filled with fragrance and steam.
Princess Jinyang had a small appetite. After eating some mutton and vegetables, she stopped eating and carefully used her chopsticks to pick up food and put it on Fang Jun's plate. Every now and then, she would pour a glass of white wine and clink it with Fang Jun's. Her small face was flushed and rosy, and her eyes were very charming.
Fang Jun ate with great relish, sweating profusely.
After the meal, without cleaning up, the two moved to the stern of the boat, brewed another pot of tea, and chatted about interesting things from previous years and talked about secrets in the palace. Snowflakes fluttered down, and the floating ice on the lake was crushed by the painted boat, rolling and sinking in the cold water.
As darkness fell and a cold wind howled, Princess Jinyang shivered and whispered, "Brother-in-law, shall you take me home?"
Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."