Chapter 81

While they chatted, Xu Buling put his legs under the table again.

The empress dowager clearly saw it, but she did not kick him again. She just sized up the box of snacks. No one knew what she was thinking, but her eyes were filled with smugness and satisfaction.

Xu Buling shook his head. She was just a woman who was not experienced in the world. No matter how smart she was, she would still fall into her trap.

The empress dowager was in a much better mood. She temporarily cast aside the matter of the dudou and turned to look at the rouge box on the table.

"Did Xianzhi Temple come up with something new?"

Xu Buling smiled brightly. He picked up two boxes of rouge and placed the Ruby Orchid Nectar in front of the empress dowager.

"It's a new lipstick this year, but there isn't much change."

The empress dowager picked it up and opened the lid to size it up. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it. She nodded slightly and looked at the other box in Xu Buling's hands.

"This is?"

Xu Buling picked up the camellia resin recommended by Aunt Lu and placed it in front of the empress dowager.

"When I was choosing at Xianzhi Temple, I happened to see this camellia resin. It's not expensive, but in my opinion, the color of the Ruby Orchid Nectar is a little bright. It might look good, but it doesn't match the empress dowager's dignified and elegant temperament. The color is too bright, and it overshadows the empress dowager's own color.

"But this camellia resin is different. It's like the woman picking the lotus. The lotus leaf dress is cut in one color, and the hibiscus flowers are spread to the sides of the face. I can't see it when I'm in the pond, and I only feel that someone is coming. It's clear but not seductive, plain but not faint. It complements the empress dowager's appearance. There's no need to deliberately embellish it. It's better to use this. "

“！？”

When the gentle words reached her ears, the empress dowager gradually froze on the spot. She stared at Xu Buling with her beautiful eyes.

Xu Buling was as calm as ever. He placed the rouge box in front of the empress dowager. When he saw that the empress dowager was a little stunned, he frowned in puzzlement.

"Empress dowager?"

"Oh!"

The empress dowager snapped out of her daze. Her eyes were filled with surprise and confusion. She instinctively raised her hand to twirl the hair by her ear and sat up straight.

"Not bad … The lotus leaf dress is cut in one color, and the hibiscus flowers are spread to the sides of the face. I can't see it when I'm in the pond, and I hear it when I'm in the pond.

The Empress Dowager pretended to be calm, but she could not hide the absent-mindedness in her eyes. Apparently, she was still thinking about the words and the poem.

Xu Buring snickered in his heart and took the opportunity to sit closer to the empress dowager. He looked directly at her beautiful face and tilted his head to size her up.

"Empress dowager, do you want to try?"

"Let me try it."

The Empress Dowager felt a little restless. She looked at Xu Buling and then at the rouge box. Her mind was in a mess. She didn't know what to think, but she actually obediently picked up the lipstick in the box and looked for the bronze mirror.

Xu Buring shook his head and chuckled. He raised his hand and took the red writing brush with some lipstick. Sitting closer to the empress dowager, his eyes pure and flawless, he brought the lipstick brush to the empress dowager's lips.

"…" The empress.

The beautiful woman was dressed in a fiery red dress. She sat on her side on the carpet and looked up at the handsome man in front of her in a daze. With the dazzling but lifeless palace, the scene was so beautiful that it was suffocating.

The empress dowager's clear eyes looked conflicted, but for some reason, she did not move. Her slight hesitation allowed the tip of the brush to touch her lips, and she gently and meticulously added some lip gloss.

"Hey! … "

The cold feeling finally made the empress dowager snap out of her daze.

Her rationality still prevailed in the end, and she suppressed the thousands of emotions in her heart.

The empress dowager leaned back slightly to avoid the brush. She used her red sleeve to cover her lips and cast a glance at Xu Buling in slight panic. She thought about it and snickered.

"How impudent. How can a man draw lips on a woman? Seriously …"

Xu Buling was neither arrogant nor rash. He put down the brush with a natural expression. "It's nothing. I often help Aunt Lu comb her hair, and she doesn't mind it."

The empress dowager clenched her fists tightly. She shook her head and closed the rouge box. She smiled in a dignified manner.

"Let's eat. I like it very much. Thank you …"

Xu Buling nodded and chuckled. He picked up the warmed wine pot and began to drink by himself.

He also brought two jars of wine today. It was apricot wine from the waterside of Jiangnan. It was a fruit wine with a soft taste and floral fragrance. It was most liked by women. It tasted soft and did not have much kick. It was purely used to liven up the mood.

The empress dowager usually did not drink, but after several times of persuasion, she did not refuse. She drank with Xu Buling in small mouthfuls, and her expression was still that of an elder. She asked about his well-being and talked about family affairs, but she was just trying to find something to talk about.

In the main hall, the doors and windows were tightly shut. The two sat together, and no one disturbed them. The atmosphere fluctuated between alienation and harmony.

After three rounds of wine, the empress dowager's pretty face was slightly flushed. Because she was naturally plump, her forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat. Her eyes were like pools of water, but she still pretended to be calm and generous.

As for Xu Buling …

Thud —

A muffled sound rose in the main hall.

After Xu Buling finished a pot of Broken Jade Wine, he pretended to be drunk. He swayed a few times in drunkenness before he sprawled out on the carpet.

“？？”

The empress dowager was talking about family affairs when she saw Xu Buling lying down. She blinked and only reacted after a while.

"Why are you lying down again …"

The empress dowager thought about it and climbed up from the carpet to stand in front of Xu Buling. She held Xu Buling's wrist and felt his pulse. After feeling it carefully, she breathed a sigh of relief and bent down to look at Xu Buling's face.

"Ling 'er? Ling 'er? "

She called out to Xu Buling softly, but he did not respond.

The empress dowager was silent for a moment. She sat next to Xu Buling and looked down at him carefully. She stared at him for a long time, but no one knew what she was looking at.

There was no sound in the spacious courtyard, only two steady breaths could be heard.

After a long time, the empress dowager snapped out of her daze. She raised her hand and wanted to scratch the bridge of Xu Buling's tall nose, but she stopped halfway.

After a moment of hesitation, the empress dowager put on a dignified and magnanimous expression.

She called out loudly, "Qiao E, send the heir to the side hall to rest for a while."

"Yes!"

Qiao E and a few palace maids pushed open the door and came in. When they saw Xu Buling lying down again, they smiled and carried the unconscious Xu Buling out.

The empress dowager sat alone in front of the table. She looked at the box of rouge on it and looked at the sky outside.

It was not noon yet. It was still early.

"The lotus leaf gauze dress is cut in one color, and the hibiscus flowers are parted on both sides of the face. I can't see anything when I enter the pool, but I only feel that someone is coming when I hear the song … "

Soft murmurs rose in the hall.

The empress dowager hesitated for a moment, but she could not help herself. She got up and walked to the soft couch. She picked up the bronze mirror that had accompanied her for many years, then jogged to the table and sat down. She opened the rouge box and drew seriously in front of the bronze mirror.

The red jade was half-open, and the red cinnabar was thick on the willow branch lips.

After the empress dowager finished dressing up, she looked at her face in the bronze mirror with satisfaction.

The woman in the mirror was mature and charming. She was still beautiful, but she was no longer the young girl of marriageable age. Even if she had a thousand kinds of charm, who would be able to appreciate it …

The empress dowager looked at the mirror in a daze. Her slightly proud expression gradually became gloomy.

After a long while, a faint sigh faintly sounded in the main hall …