flstandardbreds Chapter 163 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 18
Chapter 163 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 18
"Little Anzi, I'm back! Have you been slacking off these past few days without my constant supervision and reminders?!"
Gu Yanli, who was casually flipping through a book to pass the time, lit up when he heard Lin Shuwan's voice, but quickly lowered his gaze to pretend to be calm, only glancing at the door with the corner of his eye.
Lin Shuwan skipped and hopped in, only slowing down and adopting the posture of a teacher just before entering the room.
Seeing that he was holding the Book of Rites, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "Not bad."
Gu Yanli, without putting down his book, casually asked, "Is Her Majesty the Empress feeling better?"
Lin Shuwan naturally sat down opposite him: "Of course, she was fully recovered the day after I arrived."
"Then why are you staying for so long? You must be enjoying yourself in the palace and have forgotten about home."
Gu Yanli blurted out, but her words sounded like those of a lonely woman waiting for her husband to return home.
He was startled and quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "Oh, I meant that Miss and Her Majesty the Empress have a very good relationship."
“Of course.” Lin Shuwan nodded in agreement.
Just as Gu Yanli breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly stood up abruptly, looked him straight in the eye across the table, and said, "You wouldn't be thinking about me, would you?"
"How could that be? I was just worried that something might have happened to you in the palace since you haven't returned home for so long," Gu Yanli retorted.
"Oh—, you're worried about me, aren't you?" Lin Shuwan smiled meaningfully.
(That just means they miss me.)
"No!" Gu Yanli immediately retorted, only realizing her true feelings as he spoke, "After all, you are my teacher, what's wrong with a student showing concern for their teacher?"
"Mmm, you're right," Lin Shuwan replied with a smile.
(Oh dear, she's getting shy; her face is all red.)
Gu Yanli's eyes widened suddenly, and he abruptly stepped back, fanning himself with his hand, saying, "It seems like I'm wearing too many clothes. Why is it so hot?"
Lin Shuwan glanced at his not-so-thick coat and smiled charmingly: "Oh—, it's because it's too hot."
(Hmph, so stubborn.)
Gu Yanli's eyes darted around a few times, then he met her gaze with a matter-of-fact expression and said, "Yes! They're all hot."
At such close range, they could only see each other.
Lin Shuwan's eyes were large, black with a hint of brown, and transparent like two pieces of amber under the light.
Her eyelashes were also very thick, and as she blinked, it seemed like they could reach right into your heart...
“However, looking at you like this, you actually resemble the late Empress by about five or six points,” Lin Shuwan suddenly said.
"Hmm, what did you say, the late Empress?" Gu Yanli came back to his senses, he was actually mesmerized by Lin Shuwan's eyes.
"Yes, the eyes, nose, and mouth are the most similar, like they were made from the same mold."
Lin Shuwan tilted her head and pointed to the three places in the air.
"Why are you suddenly bringing up the late Empress?"
Gu Yanli calmed down and leaned back again.
It must be because of the distance, yes, it must be because of the distance!
He wouldn't be captivated by this witch no matter who he is!
Lin Shuwan withdrew her hand and sat down, idly poking at the hanging calligraphy brush:
"It was during a casual chat with my aunt that we suddenly mentioned that she had a portrait there."
(But I got the portrait back.)
(I remember my mother saying when I was little that she always liked to look at round things when she was pregnant with me, which is why I was born with round eyes.)
(In that case, I often look at the portraits of the late empress to see if he could also possess the beauty of the late empress.)
(Even though I'm beautiful enough, who would complain about being more beautiful?)
(I'll take it out and look at it every night before bed; maybe it'll become even more beautiful, haha.)
As Lin Shuwan thought this, she burst out laughing.
Gu Yanli couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of his lips.
Coming to her senses, Lin Shuwan slapped Gu Yanli's arm hard: "Hey, what are you laughing at?"
"Hiss, it's nothing." Gu Yanli rubbed his arm, which had been slapped hard, and lowered his mouth. "It's just that after you said that, An is also a little curious about what the late Empress looked like."
“That’s easy. The portrait is in my courtyard. Zhi Qiu, go and get it.”
Lin Shuwan readily agreed with a wave of her hand.
"Miss, this is not a good idea."
Zhi Qiu hesitated. It was illogical for Gu Yanli, a man, to specifically look at a woman's portrait, especially the portrait of the late empress.
"It's alright. It's just you, me, Xiao Anzi, and Zhu Zi here. As long as you don't tell anyone, no one else will know."
She specifically requested the portrait because she wanted Gu Yanli to see it.
"Thank you very much, Miss," Gu Yanli said, then asked, "However, could you perhaps speak to An again about the late Empress?"
Lin Shuwan rested her chin on her hand and said, "Why are you asking this?"
"You don't think you have any connection with the late Empress, do you?"
"Although I have thought so too, after all, his age does match that of the youngest prince of the late Empress."
"But you shouldn't be delusional. If you really had a relationship with her, why would you have been a servant in my household before?"
Gu Yanli explained, "An is just a little curious. I've heard that the late Empress was an extraordinary woman."
"Indeed, I only learned about it from my aunt during this trip to the palace..."
Lin Shuwan poured herself a cup of tea to moisten her mouth before sharing the gossip she had just learned with him.
The late Empress was the daughter of the Prime Minister. Not only was she far more beautiful than the noble ladies of the capital, but she was also exceptionally talented, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
After she entered the palace, she was also deeply loved by the emperor.
The harem of three thousand beauties was practically nonexistent, and there was even a saying that "of the three thousand rivers, I only take one sip."
Of course, the move to abolish the harem was dissuaded by the court officials and the Empress Dowager.
But the deep affection between the emperor and empress is beyond doubt.
Unfortunately, the Empress had not conceived for a long time, and the Emperor only had one son, the eldest prince.
For the sake of the country, the emperor had no choice but to favor other concubines.
With the birth of princes and princesses, the relationship between the emperor and empress remained strained for a period of time.
But the situation quickly eased again.
Two years later, the Empress also became pregnant with the Emperor's son.
The emperor was overjoyed and immediately declared that if the child was a prince, he would make him the crown prince; if the child was a princess, she would be his precious daughter.
Perhaps for this reason, the Empress's unborn child was seen as a thorn in the side by the other concubines.
She was born prematurely, just over seven months after birth.
The empress's health was also affected by this childbirth.
Although many imperial physicians treated him, the little prince was born before he was a month old and had a weak constitution. He died young not long after.
After the young crown prince passed away, the empress was depressed and passed away a few months later.
"Miss, it's here."
Holding the scroll, Zhi Qiu emphasized, "But we'll only let them take a peek."
"Oh well, we've already seen it, what difference does it make if we take one more look or one less?"
Lin Shuwan snatched the scroll and spread it out on the table: "Besides, if the late Empress knew that there were a few more people in this world who appreciated her beauty, she would be pleased in heaven."
(Anyway, I'd be overjoyed if people still talked about my beauty after I die.)
Gu Yanli was not amused by Lin Shuwan's thoughts this time, because his mind was completely focused on the portrait.
The person in the painting looks remarkably like his mother from a previous life!