bayedsolid Chapter 865 Huanbi 9
Chapter 865 Huanbi 9
Huanbi was startled, her mind was brought back to reality by the delicate touch. The ink strip on her fingertips turned delicately under his guidance, and she felt her chest rise and fall, as if a secret silence was pierced. She instinctively wanted to explain, but she paused the moment she met his deep eyes, and the waves in her eyes showed a little panic.
"Your servant..." She spoke with difficulty, but stopped abruptly. She was afraid, obviously. But was she afraid of the emperor's coldness or the suffocating domineering tenderness in his deliberate favor? She herself couldn't figure it out.
Seeing that she couldn't answer, Yinzhen smiled softly. His smile was not as unfathomable as before, but rather had a touch of warmth, making him look even more majestic and lasting.
"I have always liked smart people. It is rare to see someone so clueless as you. However, it is quite interesting."
Huanbi's ears felt slightly hot, and she was about to feel shy, but she clenched her thoughts and forced herself to calm down. She lowered her head again, gritted her teeth and focused her attention. Her fingertips followed the emperor's gestures and carefully rubbed the ink. The ink gradually became even and bright. Her voice was as light as a feather, but unexpectedly steady: "Your Majesty's teachings, I will remember them and study hard."
The scent of ink on the inkstone slowly dissipated, and Huanbi subconsciously held her breath. She felt the emperor's hand holding her silently, with a touch of the same warmth as ink but more panic-inducing, which made her breathe faster.
She bit her lower lip, fearing that he would see through all her thoughts if she showed even the slightest timidity.
"It seems that my teaching is not bad." Yinzhen's voice was low and deep, with a hint of interested teasing.
"Look at the color of this ink. It can be used this time."
Huanbi glanced at the inkstone and found that the ink was evenly distributed and had a luster. She didn't know whether it was because it was ground properly or because her panic made him feel amused.
She lowered her head gently, suppressed her heartbeat and replied softly: "Your Majesty praised me, but I dare not trouble you. I am sorry for causing your Majesty to worry too much."
Although he said this, his fingertips couldn't help but clench the ink stick tighter.
Yinzhen chuckled, noticing her silent stubbornness and restraint. With a faint arc in the corner of his eyes, he slowed down his strength, but his tone was slightly sharper: "Huanbi, are you afraid that I will worry too much, or that I will look at you too carefully?"
Huanbi's heart suddenly trembled, and her fingertips lost strength. The ink stick deviated an inch on the inkstone and almost rolled off. She hurriedly reached out to catch it, but unexpectedly, her palm collided with his again.
The warm touch instantly spread to the bottom of her heart. She looked up into his eyes. His deep and dark gaze was tinged with a complex emotion that she could not understand - like exploration, and like... scrutiny.
She unconsciously stepped back a little, but Yinzhen noticed it clearly.
His eyes suddenly darkened, capturing her retreat in their depths. The silence for a moment was broken by the sound of ink falling from the inkstone.
He picked up the ink stick, but his smile did not diminish, and he said leisurely: "Why, am I so scary?"
"I dare not." Huanbi lowered her eyes, her heart in a mess. She didn't even know whether the emotion was shame, fear, or something more complicated.
She gritted her teeth, raised her head slightly and said, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful. It would be a blessing for me to serve you. I don't know how Huanbi could let the emperor see that she was afraid."
"Really?" Yinzhen didn't respond, but stared at her with a half-smile, but his eyes were like a scorching probe.
After a moment, he stood up straight, casually put the ink stick back on the inkstone, and said calmly: "In this case, I would like to hear what you were thinking just now. If you are just afraid that I will classify you as stupid and don't want to teach you, there is no need to be so nervous."
Huanbi was speechless for a moment. She thought about it for a while, but she finally gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and whispered in a voice like a gurgling stream: "I... just fear that my clumsiness has offended the emperor, and I have no other thoughts. The emperor's great kindness, Huanbi knows that she is deeply grateful."
However, Yinzhen did not look away. He looked at the little woman in front of him, who was hiding under her slightly drooping hair, and the curve of his lips suddenly deepened.
He raised his eyebrows, but did not respond directly. Instead, he suddenly tilted his head slightly and patted the back of her hand as if inadvertently.
"Okay, this ink is well ground, enough for writing." His voice was as low as a sigh, taking in her thoughts and panic. But when he turned to leave, he suddenly looked back, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes that was hard to fathom.
"Unfortunately, it's too restrictive."
He said, with a faint smile on his lips, and looked at her meaningfully: "If your heart is not sincere, it will be difficult to create a good work."
Yinzhen's fingers brushed across the inkstone, and he asked casually, "Huanbi, you seem to be very smart, can you write?"
Huanbi's heart was shaken, and her mind was full of thoughts.
He suddenly asked this question, was it just a casual question, or did he have some other intention? She knew that her superficial knowledge was rare in the Zhen family's secret identity as a concubine, but in the depths of the palace, there were countless people with higher talents and knowledge than her.
If I say yes, I'm afraid he'll ask me and I'll be exposed; if I say no, wouldn't I appear stupid and useless?
After a moment, she finally spoke softly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I know a few small characters, which I learned from the young master. I'm afraid I don't dare to be accepted by you."
Yinzhen raised his eyebrows and asked with a half-smile, "Oh? Your young master is willing to teach you?"
Huanbi lowered her eyes and bit her lips slightly to hide the pain in her heart.
She knew in her heart that the word "will" contained many hidden meanings that could not be exposed, and she mentioned Zhen Huan only to cover up her own intentions. However, mentioning Zhen Huan seemed to put an invisible veil between herself and the person in front of her, which was both protective and alienating.
"The young lady feels sorry for me because I have been helpless since childhood, and is afraid that I am not serving her well enough, so she often gives me some advice." Huanbi said softly, her fingertips moving slightly, as if she was inadvertently holding the edge of the inkstone, hiding all her emotions in her movements.
Yinzhen seemed to have seen through her forbearance. He stared at her for a moment, then smiled and shook his head: "Since it is Zhen Huan's teaching, I am a little curious about what you can taste."
Yinzhen sat at the desk, slightly turned sideways, and called Huanbi over.
He pointed to the empty seat on the left, his voice gentle but with a hint of authority that could not be refused: "Come here and sit down."
Huanbi clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves, walked over slowly, lowered her head and sat down, and an inaudible "yes" floated out like willow catkins.