Chapter 29: Chapter 29: It's Her Waist
The gatekeeper led Leng Yu Yan to a room in the guesthouse, "Miss Lai arrives on an unfortunate day, as His Highness is feeling unwell. If not for that, you would not have had to wait at the entrance for so long."
"It is I who has caused a disturbance," Leng Yu Yan replied softly.
"Miss Lai is too polite."
Unconsciously, the gatekeeper became more talkative.
The umbrella-holding palace maid sneered inwardly, how could an ugly woman be worthy of a position like that of the Crown Princess Consort? Worthy of their respect?
It was said that she had terrifying patches on her face, and just now, the maid had stared intently for a while, beneath the slightly damp veil there appeared to indeed be a dark patch.
It seemed the title of the ugliest woman under the heavens was well deserved!
Once inside the guest room, some palace maids brought dry handkerchiefs and served Leng Yu Yan ginger soup.
After drinking the ginger soup and wiping her hair with a handkerchief, Leng Yu Yan felt much more comfortable.
A leading palace maid spoke, "Miss Lai, with the weather being so changeable and having been caught in the rain, it would be best to take a hot bath to expel the cold."
"A bath?" Leng Yu Yan slightly furrowed her brow.
"Indeed," the leading palace maid nodded, "hot water is already prepared inside the inner room, please come inside, Miss Lai, and we will serve you during the bath."
As she spoke, she led Leng Yu Yan inside.
Leng Yu Yan said with some embarrassment, "I just need to avoid the rain."
She really hadn't considered bathing in the Eastern Palace.
"With the lady's clothes all wet and having caught a cold, if the Eastern Palace provides inadequate hospitality, we servants cannot bear the responsibility," the palace maid said with a smile. "Moreover, His Highness has already sent for clothes suitable for the lady to wear."
To refuse further would really appear to be making a fuss.
Leng Yu Yan gave a slight cough, "I can bathe by myself, I dare not trouble all you palace maids."
The palace maids did not insist, all thinking to themselves, a person so unsightly must be just as unseemly under their clothes, so they let her be.
Consequently, all the palace maids stepped out of the inner room in unison, carefully closing the door behind them.
Leng Yu Yan pinched the bridge of her nose, coming to the Eastern Palace to avoid the rain only to end up taking a bath, how daring of her!
But having been caught in the rain, she did indeed feel rather uncomfortable, so why not just take a bath?
Thinking of the Eastern Palace as a public bathhouse seemed not too bad after all.
It was easier to accept that way.
With this thought, she couldn't help but chuckle.
The palace maids waiting outside looked at each other in bewilderment, had the ugly girl inside gone mad?
Leng Yu Yan quickly took off her wet clothes to bathe, given that she was in someone's Eastern Palace, she washed and dried off faster than she ever had before.
Just then, a palace maid outside gently knocked on the door, "Miss Lai, your clothes have arrived, I am coming in."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yu Yan spun around, grabbed a thin blanket from a wooden rack, and wrapped the key parts of her body.
"Come in, I'm done washing."
The door opened, and the leading palace maid, holding a stack of clothes, bowed her head as she walked in, her eyes, however, were very active.
The palace maids outside giggled among themselves.
As expected of an ugly woman, even her bathing was done so hastily and carelessly, was she afraid her filth would contaminate the bathwater?
Once word of this got out, another notch would be added to her reputation for ugliness.
"Hand me the clothes," Leng Yu Yan requested, with a cool smile on her lips beneath the veil, it seemed this group was eager to see just how ugly she was.
The palace maid presented the clothes with both hands, and while bowing, took the opportunity to thoroughly gaze at the young girl's delicate and fair legs on the other side.
Despite the lady's unsightly appearance, her legs had surprisingly good skin.
Raising her head briefly, catching only a quick glimpse, she saw Leng Yu Yan wrapped in a blanket, her arms and shoulders exposed, her skin porcelain white and delicately smooth, almost glowing!
In an instant, the palace maids looking on felt ashamed of themselves.
No longer clinging to false pretenses, their gazes fixated squarely on her.
An ugly woman, yet with such a figure, with such skin, should they feel envious or jealous?
Leng Yu Yan shook her head, closed the door, and began to dress herself.
The dry clothes quickly warmed her entire body.
She was a person who believed in repaying kindness; Ye Yiheng had allowed her to come inside to avoid the rain and had also provided dry clothes for her to change into.
With such a favor, if possible, she might even help him take his pulse.
Leaving the room, she glanced at the palace maids, "I would like to personally thank His Highness. Which one of you can lead me to him?"
At this moment, the palace maids' eyes were devoid of the disdain they had shown earlier, each one willing to lead the way.
Leng Yu Yan pointed to the one in the lead.
Passing through the Manuscript Gallery and the Wind and Rain Corridor, they finally arrived where Ye Yiheng was.
"Miss Lai, this is His Highness Ye Yiheng's bedroom."
His bedroom?
Leng Yu Yan paused; she had wanted to thank him personally, but she had not expected to do it at his bedroom.
Moreover, this place made her feel dizzy!
With a boom in her head, she finally understood why she felt dizzy upon arriving at the Eastern Palace.
In those two months, this bedroom had appeared in her dreams almost every night.
The insane, heart-throbbing scenes all took place in this bedroom.
Suddenly, Leng Yu Yan's legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to move another step.
At that moment, Song Guo came out quickly, "Miss Lai, His Highness is indisposed today and is not seeing visitors."
Leng Yu Yan looked down, not wanting to take another look at the bedroom, and spoke softly, "I just wanted to say thanks. Since His Highness is indisposed, I will take my leave."
Told he would not see her, she was directly turned away.
She had also thought about taking his pulse, but it seemed unnecessary now.
Meanwhile, Ye Yiheng was standing behind the windows of the inner room, observing through the window screen. He could clearly see her wearing a crimson dress that outlined her delicate waist.
Damn it!
His vision had just improved significantly, and the first thing he saw was her waist!
Ye Yiheng turned around, his back to the window, his long fingers pinching and then releasing, releasing then pinching.
After repeatedly clenching his fists several times, he felt slightly better.
Song Guo's voice came from outside again, "His Highness says, with the storm weakening, it's time to arrange a horse carriage to send Miss Lai home."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration."
Her voice was cool and indifferent.
Ye Yiheng, listening from the inside, furrowed his handsome brows.
It seemed this woman hadn't really come to thank him.
At least he couldn't hear a hint of sincerity.
And her departing footsteps were hasty, as if this place held floods and wild beasts she couldn't bear to stay close to for a moment longer.
Suddenly, he thought that his cold disease had flared up near noontime. People outside the palace would not have known so quickly. How did she find out if she came to visit?
At this thought, Ye Yiheng snapped his fingers.
Mo Chen's voice immediately came from the shadows, "Your Highness, please give your orders!"
"Find out how she came to the Eastern Palace."
"Yes!" Mo Chen quickly departed.
--
Before long, the horse carriage was carrying Leng Yu Yan towards the Leng Residence.
Before she left, she took away the wet clothes she had changed out of; they were not yet married, and it was inappropriate to leave her wet clothes with him.
The clothes she was currently wearing, she also did not know where he had found them.
The material and craftsmanship were quite exquisite; they definitely weren't something a palace maid would own.
The horse carriage rattled on.
Someone covertly observed this scene, and then with a flash, disappeared into the rain.
Seeing the figure in black leave, Leng Yu Yan let down the carriage curtain, the corners of her beautiful lips lifting slightly.
It hadn't been in vain to perform in the rain.
The figure hurried all the way into Chenglan Palace.
Upon seeing the person arrive, Consort Xian immediately dismissed everyone around her.
"How did it go?"
This person had come so early; could it be that there had been some unforeseen development?