To be a Virtuous Wife

018

Bathing Together

In the study, He Heng closed the missive in his hands. Looking at the completely darkened sky, he said: "Come, light the way to zhengyuan."

Ming He, who had been waiting at the door motioned for a little eunuch to hold a sectioned off the lantern and personally held a tasseled palace lamp. He waited quietly at the side for wang ye to start on his way.

The study and zhengyuan were separated by a garden. He Heng walked to the border of the garden and saw a shadow hidden beside the fake mountain. The person couldn't be identified from the pale shadow but the sound of a female voice reciting a poem spread.

"When the geese are returning, the full moon shines down on the Western tower. The flowers fall, the waters flow... ..."

"Who's there?" He Heng looked expressionlessly at that shadow. The flickering lamplight made as though his eyes had an additional light.

"Wang ye?!" The voice suddenly stopped, visibly frightened. A woman wearing a pale robe tied at the waist with red eyes kneeled in front of He Heng. A white jade hairpin was the only ornament in her hair, the thin figure kneeling on the ground seemed as pitiful as one could ever be.

Ming He saw the lack of expression on wang ye and spoke: "Lady Yun Qing, what are you doing here? It's cold these winter nights, you've just recovered, you should wear more clothing."

He Heng's lips curled. He looked at the insubstantial article of clothing on Yun Qing and started to walk around Yun Qing. Originally, he had felt that she was a little bit interesting, but looking at her pitiful act, he suddenly felt nothing at all. This wasn't as enticing as when she had acted virtuous and noble. When a virtuous woman suddenly turned to ingratiation, it didn't seem as interesting.

Yun Qing watched as wang ye walked away. She gritted her teeth and said: "Wang ye."

He Heng turned his head to look at the woman still kneeling on the ground. He suddenly spoke: "Do you still remember when ben wang wanted to make you my tong fang concubine, what you said?"

"This servant said, to receive the heart and soul of one person, to not separate until the heads turn white." Yun Qing raised her head to look at He Heng, her eyes full of adoration.

"Then what are you doing now?" He Heng scanned Yun Qing in an interested manner from head to toe before his gaze, at the end, fell upon that pale while chest.

"This servant is truly in love with wang ye," The tears in Yun Qing's eyes glimmered, "If this servant had the foresight to know what would happen today, this servant wouldn't have stayed in this wang fu in the very beginning."

"Che," He Heng raised his eyebrows and spoke to Ming He, "Remember tomorrow to remind ben wang to raise this woman to a tong fang. Send somebody to deliver her back. It's very late, don't alarm any others." Finishing, he turned and walked towards the zheng yuan, not looking even once more upon Yun Qing who was still kneeling.

Ming He smiled and glanced at Yun Qing, "This servant will remember." He turned to follow.

After everyone had left, Yun Qing finally stood. She wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, staring with wide eyes in the direction that wang ye had left in. Her gaze lit up with unprecedented brightness.

He Heng stepped into the zheng yuan and dismissed the announcement of the servants. He strode directly into the room that Qu Qing Ju lived in. At the doorway, he saw Qu Qing Ju gazing at a jade gourd pendant under the light. Her gaze held a peace that he had never seen before, as though time had stopped within her eyes.