"Princess, His Highness asks for you."
Mo Xiu Yao didn"t have any maid around him. Therefore the one who brought Ye Li his message was one of his guards. Ye Li nodded, stood up and asked: "Where is His Highness at the moment?" The guard answered: "His Highness is waiting for you at Water Pavilion."
"I see. You can go now."
Prince Ding"s Manor was the largest manor in the capital, which was due to the status of Prince Ding"s Manor in Great Chu. Over a hundred years, the manor went through renovations under several generations of princes. Though the land it covered never changed, its scenery was counted as the top of the capital. At the south-west corner of the manor there was a natural lake which took up one-sixth of the manor"s area. There was a wooden corridor over the lake which led all the way to the middle of the lake, where three water pavilions stood. The lake was covered by dark green lotus leaves. The lake rippled with green waves by reflection of those leaves. As soon as one walked near the lake, one could feel a sight chill which made the lake a perfect place to relieve summer heat.
Motioning to the maids to stop, Ye Li stepped on the corridor and walked to the water pavilion which located in the middle of the lake by herself when she saw Mo Xiu Yao sitting by the open window, staring blankly towards the air. Hearing her footsteps, Mo Xiu Yao came to himself and smiled: "Ah Li."
Ye Li walked inside: "What are you thinking about?"
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head and smiled: "I"ve been busy with some trivia. I haven"t got time to ask whether you are used to your life here yet?"
Ye Li shrugged. She found a place opposite to him, sat down and smiled: "I have a strong adaptability. People of the manor are good. I feel great."
Seeing the strange looks on Mo Xiu Yao"s face, Ye Li blinked and smiled: "You are not used to it, aren"t you?" It never occurred to her that Mo Xiu Yao would really nod.
He laughed slightly and said: "In fact, I am not. It seems that... For years I"ve been the only one in this manor."
"Em... Do you want me to leave?" Ye Li said apologetically. She hadn"t thought that her existence would be troublesome for Mo Xiu Yao.
Mo Xiu Yao couldn"t help laughing. He shook his head and said: "That"s not it. Ah Li, I thought we were a couple."
"So?"
"I think we should spend more time together." Mo Xiu Yao said.
Ye Li understood. Some people would run away from things that they weren"t used to, but some would confront the challenge head-on. Mo Xiu Yao was clearly the latter. A couple like them who didn"t have much affection for each other before their wedding did need to develop feelings towards each other. "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Mo Xiu Yao said: "If you have time, talk with me or keep me company while I"m reading. Or I can go out with you if it"s not an embarra.s.sment to you."
Going out? Ye Li was a little moved. She seemed to have forgotten that after marriage it was more convenient for her to go out.
"Of course." Ye Li nodded as to agree with what Mo Xiu Yao suggested.
Seeing that she agreed without hesitation, Mo Xiu Yao was in a daze. Then his lips curved slightly: "Yesterday I said that I would draw you a painting. Come here and see. How about this one?"
Ye Li walked to him in amazement: "You finished it in such a short time."
In front of Mo Xiu Yao there was an open picture scroll on the desk. In the picture, there was a woman in red standing there with a sword in her hand. With just a glance, Ye Li recognized that the style and the jewelry were the same as she had on her wedding day only that the red dress wasn"t the complicated and heavy phoenix brocade with peony but a light and simple red dress with golden cloud patterns on the edge with a golden belt on her waist. The peony between her eyebrows was replaced by a raging fire. The woman waged the sword. She looked bright and elegant with a stroke of pride and fierceness.
"Is that me?" Ye Li looked at the woman in the painting and said in a small voice. The woman in the painting had a familiar face yet gave her a hint of strangeness. But that bit of strangeness seemed to be exactly what she was familiar with. Not knowing why, Ye Li felt that the woman in the painting was extremely beautiful, way more beautiful than what she usually saw in the mirror.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled and said: "It was said that once a beauty waged her sword and the world was shaken by that. Ah Li, you have what Princess Qing Yun used to have.
"I don"t..." Ye Li shook her head. She had never waged a sword in front of anyone before. In fact, she didn"t even know how to wage a sword. Ye Li stared blankly at Sword of Lan Yun in the woman"s hand in the painting.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled slightly: "I think this is the real Ah Li."
Ye Li remained silent but she couldn"t take her eyes away from the woman in the painting. True. She had once seen the same looks on another familiar face. The ease and recklessness she once had going back and forth freely in the forest of guns and hail of bullets. The fierceness and pride she had killing her enemies with bare hands in foul wind and rain of blood. That was a life totally different from this one. Once she had settled in reality she had been trying hard to work towards the standard of women of this age. She thought that she had slowly forgotten the woman who laughed freely in mud and sweat. But... If she had really forgotten about that, if she had really settled in, how would she still had such hidden skills?
"That day, when you were carrying Sword of Lan Yun... I think you were more beautiful than ever." It seemed that Mo Xiu Yao sighed. Before him appeared the moment that Ye Li unsheathed Sword of Lan Yun with such an imposing manner that was totally different from any woman and with such unrestrained style and heroic spirit when she wielded it. At that moment, Mo Xiu Yao thought he saw a great general who swept over the battleground.
"Could you... give it to me?" Ye Li asked with hesitation.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled: "It"s meant for you." Since she brought up the painting yesterday, Mo Xiu Yao knew that Ah Li was just joking. But time and again, how bright and attractive she looked on their wedding night as well as how she unsheathed the sword at the main hall of Ye Manor occurred to Mo Xiu Yao. Therefore, even though there were many ch.o.r.es in the manor, he still stayed up all night yesterday and finished the painting.
"But I haven"t written anything on it yet. Ah Li, what do you think will be the best?"
Ye Li shook her head. She hesitated and said: "There"s no need for that. I won"t show it to anyone else anyway." She really loved this painting. What if the writing ruined it?
Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyebrows. Then he nodded and said: "Well, writing aside but an autograph is necessary."
Picking up a writing brush from the pen rack on the desk, Mo Xiu Yao told Ye Li: "Make ink for me."
Ye Li was curious about Mo Xiu Yao"s calligraphy. Judging simply from the drawing techniques of this painting, it seemed that Mo Xiu Yao wasn"t lying when he said his drawing skills were as good as Han Ming Yue"s, but what about his calligraphy?
Mo Xiu Yao looked at Ye Li and smiled: "Ah Li, you have a unique talent in calligraphy so I might disappoint you with mine."
Ye Li looked at him with a smile as he dipped the writing brush in the ink, lifted it and left the words "Prince Ding, Xiu Yao, a gift to his wife, Ah Li" by one side of the painting.
Mo Xiu Yao"s writing was forceful and elegant with an imposing manner while didn"t make too much of a display. Ye Li was very satisfied and took it aside waiting for it to dry with the greatest care then put it away. Glancing at the "a gift to his wife Ah Li" Ye Li suddenly had a strange feeling. She raised her head to see Mo Xiu Yao and found that he was looking at her as well. If she just retreated like that wouldn"t it show that she had a guilty conscience? Ye Li had no choice but to widen her eyes and look back. Mo Xiu Yao smiled slightly and averted his eyes first.
The strange atmosphere made Ye Li want to leave but she didn"t want to leave without the painting on the desk. Besides, if she left like that, it would show that she admitted her defeat. Didn"t she just agreed to spend more time with him? She thought about it real quick and then changed the topic: "Right, I wanted to talk to you about this just now. Can you get rid of all your white clothes?"
Seeing that Mo Xiu Yao raised his eyebrows in confusion, Ye Li asked: "Or do you happen to like white clothes in particular?"
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head: "I have no preference for colors. It"s just a habit. But how does that occur to you?" In his knowledge of Ye Li, she wouldn"t be interested in interfering with what color of clothes he wore.
Ye Li smiled and told him about what happened. Mo Xiu Yao looked at her, speechless. "So you think that she only wears white because I wear white?"
Ye Li nodded: "Yes. That"s it."
"But I don"t wear white all the time." Though he had more clothes in plain colors, he had clothes in other colors as well.
"But obviously, every time you appeared in front of her, you happened to wear white clothes." Ye Li shrugged lazily.
"Hehe... Ah Li, are you jealous of her?" Mo Xiu Yao stared at her for a good while and laughed slightly.
Jealous?
Ye Li couldn"t help herself and her face turned dark. She stood up hurriedly and said in shock: "Sorry. I am not the jealous type." After she said that, she didn"t have time for the painting and turning around, went outside.
"Your Highness?"
Shortly afterwards, Ah Jin appeared by the door and looked at Mo Xiu Yao. Sun mama was right. His Highness wasn"t good at dealing with princess. It took him no time to drive the princess away, angry.
Mo Xiu Yao smiled slightly: "Take this painting to princess later."