GBP Chapter 199 Birthday
Chapter 199 Birthday
The temperature in the secret palace seemed to be colder at night than during the day.
Although it is not clear whether it is day or night, just pretend it is that way.
Rong Su hugged the hand warmer tightly. Relying on the warmth transmitted to her palms, her eyes became a little blurry and her eyelids began to droop.
Just as her head was about to fall, a warm hand held her up, and a low, comfortable and gentle voice came from above her head.
"Are you sleepy? Why don't you rest in the house? I'll call you when I'm done."
Hearing his voice, Rong Su yawned slightly, opened her eyes dazedly, looked at him, and asked softly, "Then what on earth are you doing? You've been locking yourself in the kitchen."
Shen Peiqing just smiled, reached out his hand, and gently stroked her hair: "Wait a moment."
As he spoke, he turned around and went back to the kitchen. Soon after, he brought out a plate of jade-white pastries. However, these pastries were much larger than ordinary pastries, at least comparable to longevity peaches.
Staring at the large cake, Rong Su couldn't help but wonder, "Where did you find the flour? Also, why are you suddenly interested in making cakes? When did you become so good at making cakes?"
When Shen Peiqing heard her question, he smiled helplessly, placed the plate on the stone table, sat next to her, and reached out to hold her hand.
"You have so many questions at once. Which one would you like me to answer first?"
Rong Su was quite serious and answered immediately: "Then tell me when you started to learn how to make pastries. I think you didn't know how to make them?"
Shen Peiqing shook his head helplessly, then took out a dagger, wiped it clean with a handkerchief, and then cut a small piece of cake and placed it in the bowl in front of her.
"It seems Xiao Su has forgotten. I once spent a whole night making a thin green cake for you."
He looked at Rong Su with a somewhat resentful look.
Seeing his eyes like that, Rong Su suddenly recalled that a long time ago, she had eaten the pastries he made, the green pastries that looked like mung bean cakes, but tasted like a faint mint flavor.
Suddenly she felt ashamed. She smiled awkwardly and rolled her eyes: "I, I'm sorry, I forgot."
Shen Peiqing said it not to blame her, but because he felt a little sad, he couldn't help but complain and reached out to push the bowl in front of her.
"After all, it's been so long, it's normal that you don't remember. Just try it. I've been trying to practice making it since then. I saw Gu Yun often brought you cakes, so I was wondering what kind of cakes you would like to eat."
Rong Su was slightly stunned when she heard what he said, but then she immediately reacted and looked at him with a playful smile: "Oh? Are you jealous?"
It was as if someone had suddenly exposed his little thoughts. Shen Peiqing's handsome and cold face suddenly turned slightly red, and he glared at her with a little annoyance.
"Let's try it first. There's nothing here to make pastries, so I can only use fish."
Rong Su saw that he was a little embarrassed and annoyed, so she stopped teasing him, picked up the small piece of cake in the bowl with her chopsticks, and put it into her mouth to savor it carefully.
As soon as the pastry enters your mouth, you can smell a rich aroma of fresh fish. It is tender and smooth without being greasy, and it is salty instead of sweet.
Her eyes lit up slightly in surprise. Seeing Shen Peiqing's expectant gaze, she nodded in approval and praised generously, "It's delicious! It has a light texture, not too salty or bland!"
Hearing Rong Su's high evaluation, Shen Peiqing felt a little relieved, and then he cut a small piece and ate it. It was indeed quite good.
Seeing him eat, Rong Su pursed her lips, put down her chopsticks, and looked at him seriously: "I have another question, why are you suddenly interested in making big cakes?"
It’s not that Rong Su always likes to think about bad things. Generally, when something happens suddenly or someone breaks the rules, something big must have happened.
When she thought that Shen Peiqing might have encountered something bad, her mood became much heavier.
Seeing that Shen Peiqing did not answer immediately, he thought he was hesitating about something and was unable to speak.
She became even more nervous. "Could there be something wrong with the secret passage we dug? Are you afraid I'd be angry or sad if I found out, so you made this cake to comfort me?"
When Shen Peiqing heard her words, he was stunned for a while with a look of surprise.
Seeing his expression, Rong Su thought she had guessed right. Although she felt a little disappointed, she was not so angry as to vent her anger on Shen Peiqing. She quickly waved her hand and said, "It's okay. It's just that the secret passage hasn't been opened. At worst, we can just find another exit."
She pretended not to care and went on to pick up the dagger on the table to cut the cakes and eat them.
Shen Peiqing watched her talking so much to herself, sighed helplessly, and couldn't help laughing. He clenched his fists, covered his mouth, and his shoulders were shaking.
Rong Su was eating pastries when she turned her head and noticed that Shen Peiqing was trying to hold back his laughter. She widened her eyes and said angrily, "What are you laughing at?"
As if realizing something, Rong Su's chest rose and fell greatly, and she stared at him: "Could it be that I guessed wrong?"
Seeing Rong Su about to lose her temper, Shen Peiqing immediately stopped smiling and turned serious. He coughed twice, put down his hand, looked at her and said, "No, Xiaosu. It's not what you think. I just thought that once we get out, we won't be able to have such a peaceful life anymore. Besides, I still don't know your birthday. I sent people to find out a lot of news and information about you, but unfortunately, they can't find your birthday."
When he said these words, various expressions appeared on his face. It was the first time he showed so many emotions since Shen Xuan passed away.
It turned out that he did all this just to celebrate her birthday with her.
All the anger that wanted to burst out suddenly disappeared.
Rong Su looked at his eyes that showed tenderness and focus on her, and it was impossible for her to ignore and remain indifferent.
She couldn't help but smile helplessly, reached out and held his hand, and said, "Why don't you just ask me? If you want to know my birthday, why don't you just ask me directly? You have to send someone to check. My birthday is the sixth of November."
Shen Peiqing took note of it silently, looked at her, moved his chair, moved closer to Rong Su, opened his arms to hug her, rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice low and with a hint of reluctance flowing through it.
"I know. I can ask you, but I want to understand you through my own efforts. If I ask you, it will seem like I'm not really trying."
Not understanding what he was obsessed with, Rong Su felt helpless about his strange thoughts, but at the same time, she also thought he was a little cute.
Raising her hands and hugging him back, Rong Su began to say in a teasing tone: "So, are you putting your heart into it?"
Shen Peiqing suddenly felt a little unhappy again, like a little kid, and began to retort with resentment: "Can't you see that I'm very attentive? I carefully picked out the fish bones from the fish meat in that cake!"
After saying that, he let go of her, sat up straight, put on a stern face, and spread out his hands in front of her very seriously. There were knife marks on the palms of his slender, white and broad hands, and obvious pinholes could be seen on the tips of his beautiful fingers.
Seeing those clearly visible pinholes and his very serious and unhappy expression, just like a child complaining to an adult, it was really novel for Rong Su to be able to see someone like Shen Peiqing who disdains to express emotions.
She immediately became serious, and with great concern, she grabbed his hands and looked at them carefully: "Let me see."
When Shen Peiqing saw that she wanted to look, he put his hands in front of her and looked at her with his eyes, as if to say that you have to take a good look, and his face was full of words saying that you must feel good about me.
Seeing him like this, she felt both amused and helpless, but she still cooperated with him.
But to be honest, his palms were indeed covered with scars. Not only from picking out fish bones when making the cake for her, but also from using a machete to dig secret passages, and each one was deeply marked.
But he never told her how uncomfortable he felt underwater and how many injuries he suffered.
Seeing those scars, the pain in her heart became heavier and more uneasy, and the heartache that could not be concealed jumped into her eyes.
Shen Peiqing originally just wanted to see her feel more sorry for him, but when he really saw her sad expression, he immediately regretted it.
He quickly retracted his hand and hugged her in his arms. He stroked her back gently and said in a relaxed tone: "Okay. I'm just complaining. It's okay. It's just some minor injuries."
Rong Su didn't think so. Those injuries really happened to him at some point in the past, and he didn't feel any pain at all at that time.
The thought of this made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay, don't think about it. Let's eat the pastries I made." Shen Peiqing noticed that Rong Su's expression was showing more and more discomfort, and he felt uncomfortable in his heart. He felt like comforting her and changing the subject.
Knowing that he was trying to comfort her, Rong Su nodded in agreement with his words, and secretly made up her mind that she would make more medicines that could heal injuries in the future. That way, if he brought them with him, he would be able to use them if he encountered anything.
Of course, she didn't want Shen Peiqing to get hurt, but the situation was complicated and changeable now. Once they left such a peaceful place, they would be greeted by the ever-changing situation outside.
It's all just in case.
After finishing the cakes, Rong Su thought of something and looked at him and asked, "When is your birthday?"
Shen Peiqing answered her without hesitation: "May 16th."
"May 16th. Okay, I remember it!" Rong Su wrote it down carefully.
Shen Peiqing smiled and took out a handkerchief, gently wiping her lips: "It doesn't matter if you don't remember, I can celebrate your birthday."
When Rong Su heard this, she wanted to ask why, but when she saw a dim light flash across Shen Peiqing's eyes, she could sense that he seemed to have something on his mind.
Shen Peiqing also saw Rong Su's expression of wanting to ask but suppressing herself, so he sighed lightly, held her hand, and turned his gaze outside: "If you want to know, I will tell you. You don't have to change your personality or hide your emotions when you are with me. As long as you want to know, I will tell you."
Since he said so, Rong Su simply asked, "Do you have any unspeakable secrets? Don't want to celebrate your own birthday?"
Shen Peiqing's gaze seemed to become profound, as if he remembered something, and there was a hint of loneliness and melancholy in his eyes like a solitary moon.
"My mother is my father's legal wife. She has been with him since he was just a prince. They respect each other like guests."
"Until later, when my father ascended the throne, he met Concubine Yu, Shen Fengyu's biological mother. From then on, my father's love for my mother faded."
"I learned from my personal nanny that when my mother was pregnant with me, she would hide in Fengluan Palace and cry secretly every day and night. But after crying, she would still continue to show the majesty of the queen in front of others."
"My mother once left me only one sentence in the letter she sent me: 'Without you, I will not feel any emotion.'"
He said this, smiling bitterly and lowering his eyes.
"Mammy said that my mother had never been emotionally attached to my father, but it was the birth of a child that caused her so much pain. At that moment, I realized that I was her pain. I had harmed her. She also died of a hemorrhage when I was born."
The topic became very heavy.
Rong Su saw that he was becoming increasingly sad, and he fell into the same state as when Shen Xuan passed away.
Seeing this, she quickly reached out, hugged him, and patted his back: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned your sad story."
Shen Peiqing seemed to shake his head, his voice low and shallow, revealing a hint of loneliness and helplessness: "It's not a sad thing anymore. It's all in the past."
She listened, feeling really bad and sorry for him. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Maybe you misunderstood."
He was slightly stunned, let go of her, and looked at her with confusion.
"Without you, there would be no emotion. Perhaps it could be understood that if you weren't there, she wouldn't have felt this way. That's the love a mother has for her own flesh and blood. As a first-time mother, she must have felt the same love for you that she feels for her children, a love she wants to protect with her life. If she didn't understand it this way, why would she have risked her life to give birth to you?"
After hearing this, Shen Peiqing's face became more confused and messy. He lowered his eyes, and then when he raised his head to look at her, he showed a faint smile and reached out to hold her hand.
"I know you're trying to comfort me. But let it be. I won't dwell on it anymore."
Rong Su understood that this was a sad thing for him, and she didn't know what the words his mother wrote meant. Perhaps only the person involved would know.
"So the mother who raised you is Concubine Yu?" If I remember correctly, Shen Fengyu framed Shen Peiqing by poisoning the concubine who raised Shen Peiqing.
Shen Peiqing shook his head. "No. Imperial Concubine Yu was weak, and after giving birth to Shen Fengyu, her health worsened. She passed away a year later. After that, Shen Fengyu and I were both placed under the care of Imperial Concubine Shu, and she raised us."
Suddenly, Rong Su discovered something surprising. If so, "Was Concubine Shu killed by Shen Fengyu?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings became much quieter.
Shen Peiqing remained silent and did not say this.