Lan Yan saw that Jun Yelan remained silent for a long time, guessing he had something difficult to say. She waved her hand and said, "I was just speaking casually. Thank you for your help earlier."
She turned and walked towards the desk, breathing a sigh of relief, realizing she had almost been charmed.
Jun Yelan stood behind Lan Yan, his lips pressed together, swallowing the words he wished to speak.
He watched as Lan Yan picked up the books on the table, then walked over and explained, "These are the books to be copied for this sacrifice."
"So many!" Lan Yan exclaimed, flipping through the thick book in her hands. She looked around; only Jun Yelan was there. She wondered how long it would take to copy them all.
Her eyes darted around, and she smiled, "Jun Yelan, since I have nothing else to do, let me help you copy them."
Jun Yelan did not reply, lost in hesitation.
Lan Yan continued, "Didn't you just tell the Emperor that I was helpful? You can't deceive the Emperor." She revealed a sly glint in her eyes, smiled, sat down, and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
She looked at the desktop. A brush was handed to her. She took it and smiled, "Jun Yelan, you truly understand me."
Jun Yelan merely stood by, watching Lan Yan. He didn't truly understand Lan Yan's heart, nor why she insisted on staying by his side. But he didn't want to probe; this was good enough.
He also took out paper and a brush, sat down beside her, and continued copying the books.
Lan Yan looked at the words in the books. Some seemed like Buddhist scriptures, others like Taoist texts, but she didn't understand them. She raised her head, her gaze sweeping past Jun Yelan. He always seemed to be enduring everything alone.
She suddenly wished she could be Jun Yelan's support, at least to hold him up when he couldn't bear it anymore.
Jun Yelan, feeling her gaze, noticed Lan Yan's expression. Her eyes held so much emotion, the most obvious being concern. Was she feeling sorry for him?
Lan Yan, seeing she had been discovered, found it awkward to look away, so she simply stared openly. She pushed a book towards him and said with a hint of grievance, "Jun Yelan, I can't write this character well."
Jun Yelan rose and walked to Lan Yan's side, taking her hand that held the brush.
Lan Yan curved her lips into a smile, feeling the warmth on the back of her hand. She followed Jun Yelan, stroke by stroke, to finish writing the character. She looked at the large character on the paper, her eyes filled with a smile, and tilted her head slightly.
Her cheek brushed against Jun Yelan's face, her lips stopping just a tiny distance from his chin.
Both froze. Jun Yelan was the first to release Lan Yan's hand and step back. His attention fixed on Lan Yan's lips, he averted his gaze, walked back to his seat, his ear tips reddening.
Lan Yan remained seated, covering her cheeks with both hands, feeling them burn.
After that, she dared not move recklessly, focusing solely on copying.
The only sound in the room was the rustling of books as the candle on the table gradually burned out.
Lan Yan's eyelids began to droop, and her wrist, holding the brush, ached increasingly. She put down the brush, rotated her wrist, and turned her head to see Jun Yelan still copying. He was truly resilient.
She yawned, deciding to rest for a while before continuing to copy.
With that thought, she leaned back in her chair, tilted her head slightly to the side, and closed her eyes.
The sound of even breathing filled the air. Jun Yelan stopped writing, turned his head, and saw a sleeping face. He stood up, fetched a cloak, and covered Lan Yan with it.
So close, his gaze fell directly on Lan Yan's lips. Looking up, he saw her usually bright eyes now closed, her eyelashes still.
Realizing his actions, he straightened up, intending to leave. Suddenly, Lan Yan's head tilted, and he reached out to support her, naturally sitting down beside her.
Lan Yan made a smacking sound with her lips, shifted her head, and found a comfortable position.
Seeing this, Jun Yelan's palms clenched slightly. A flicker of panic crossed his face, and his heart began to race. He turned his head, pulled the cloak further onto Lan Yan's shoulders, and looked at the paper in front of her.
He moved closer and continued copying the character "心" from where it left off.
Lan Yan slept soundly beside him.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the two figures leaning against each other at the desk.
Jun Yelan opened his eyes, looking at the person on his shoulder with an inexplicable calmness. He reached out, gently placed Lan Yan's head on the table, stiffly stood up, and took away the papers copied the previous night.
A long while later, Lan Yan also woke up, rubbing her neck and exclaiming, "This place is terrible for sleeping. Next time, I'll just lay a mat here."
After her complaint, she looked around and found Jun Yelan gone. She got up and walked towards the door.
She saw Jun Yelan clipping papers onto a string. A strong wind blew, and from a distance, they looked like flying catkins.
Jun Yelan's hair was also being blown by the wind, along with his sleeves, but he stood tall. The phrase "芝兰玉树" (a metaphor for a person of noble character and exceptional talent) perfectly described him.
Lan Yan's eyes lit up. She walked down the steps and smiled, "Jun Yelan, you woke up without calling me. I could have helped you."
"It's fine. I can manage these alone." Jun Yelan's hand continued clipping papers, a flash in his eyes. He looked at how soundly Lan Yan had slept and couldn't bear to wake her.
Lan Yan smiled, "It's better to have an extra pair of hands. You, don't work too hard." Habitually, she reached out and patted Jun Yelan's shoulder, only to realize her mistake after.
She quickly withdrew her hand, pretending ignorance, and went to clip papers nearby.
Seeing Lan Yan's evasive gaze, Jun Yelan's lips curved slightly. He walked to Lan Yan's side and picked up another sheet of paper.
Just then, a young eunuch arrived, holding a food box. He paused slightly upon seeing Lan Yan. He bowed and said, "Greetings, General Lan. This servant is responsible for delivering the meals."
Lan Yan nodded, resuming her general's cold demeanor, and extended her hand. "Give it to me." However, the young eunuch was hesitant and evasive. She frowned, wondering if the food was poisoned!
"What, this food, this General cannot touch it!"
The young eunuch trembled, "This servant dares not." He shakily lifted the food box and handed it to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan opened the lid and looked at the contents, a cold laugh escaping her. No wonder the eunuch was reluctant to hand it over. The food inside was not only cold but also consisted of nothing more than vegetables and tofu.
It seemed Jun Yelan had been eating such meals before. It was just that she had stayed the night, and this particular eunuch had arrived. "Are you kidding me? Is the palace food this poor!"
The young eunuch trembled even more violently, lowering his head. "This servant does not know. I am only responsible for delivering it."
"Stop playing games with me!" Lan Yan glared angrily. "You people are always looking down on some and fawning over others. But Jun Yelan was brought here by this General!" She knew Jun Yelan's life in the palace wouldn't be easy.
The young eunuch stiffened and muttered, "But he is also from Ying Kingdom. Why should he eat well?"
Lan Yan was about to become furious when Jun Yelan grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, confused.