So passionate and eager, as if wanting to swallow one’s soul whole. Ji Cheng didn’t dare to breathe; each breath brought unwelcome scents of alcohol and cosmetics. In the end, her face flushed red from holding her breath, and she had to forcefully hit Shen Che to break free.
“My mind was filled with thoughts of you all evening,” Shen Che rested his chin on Ji Cheng’s shoulder, holding her firmly in his arms.
Ji Cheng pouted where Shen Che couldn’t see, then said, “Oh, so you were thinking of me while covered in the scent of cosmetics?”
Shen Che laughed against Ji Cheng’s shoulder, causing her to shake as well. “Is this the sound of jealousy?”
Ji Cheng straightened her back, trying to leave Shen Che’s embrace, but he pressed her back down. She heard Shen Che sigh softly, “It was all an act. For some reason, every move they made reminded me of you. I wondered how you would look saying those lines, how your head should tilt slightly, your gaze a bit more haughty.”
“You’re drunk,” Ji Cheng gently pushed Shen Che, finding his sweet talk a bit cloying.
Shen Che loosened his hold on Ji Cheng slightly, lowering his head to sniff his clothes. “I don’t like this scent at all. I only like the peach fragrance on you. Every time I smell it, I want to take a bite.”
Shen Che was getting heavier, and Ji Cheng could barely support him. She frowned and said, “Go downstairs and freshen up first. It smells unpleasant.”
Usually, every time Shen Che returned to Nine Li Courtyard, he would change clothes and freshen up in the main courtyard downstairs before coming up. Xing Shang always waited for him there, and the future Second Madam would also live in the main courtyard downstairs.
Shen Che stood up, stretching out both hands, indicating Ji Cheng should help him change.
Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che without moving, thinking he was becoming more and more unreasonable. Every inch she gave, he took a foot.
“Unwilling?” Shen Che opened his half-closed eyes. “Then I’ll help you change. I’d be delighted to.”
Before Ji Cheng could react, Shen Che had already reached out and grabbed the silk cord on her jacket, about to untie it.
Ji Cheng hurriedly caught the cord and stepped back. “How can you be so shameless?”
Using drunkenness as an excuse to act wild—Ji Cheng didn’t want to deal with Shen Che. However, even drunk, Shen Che was far more agile than Ji Cheng. She couldn’t escape at all. Once he caught her, he started using his mouth to tear at her collar.
“Alright, alright, I’ll help you change. Will you change your clothes first?” Ji Cheng glared at Shen Che, nearly dizzy from the smell of alcohol on him.
Shen Che let go, and Ji Cheng stood up to undo his belt. Finding her too slow, he simply yanked all his robes open, and in front of Ji Cheng, he walked while stripping down to just a pair of white loose-fitting pants.
In the washroom, there was a natural stone bath. The water was pumped up from the North Abyss below Nine Li Courtyard. It was another spring eye besides the one in the Qing Garden’s Gushing Spring Pool.
Ji Cheng followed Shen Che, picking up his clothes. Seeing him step into the cold water pool, she couldn’t help but comment, “Aren’t you afraid it’s too cold?” Although it was early summer, bathing in cold water was still quite chilly.
“Join me,” Shen Che turned to pull Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng ran away in a flash.
By the time Shen Che came out, Ji Cheng had already tidied up the clothes he had carelessly thrown about. She had also put away the writing materials she had used earlier to write a letter.
When Shen Che emerged, his hair was dripping wet. Ji Cheng was initially going to ignore it, but her nature wouldn’t allow her to see him dripping water onto the snow-white rush mat, making a mess.
“Why did you come out without drying your hair?” Ji Cheng got up and went to the washroom, bringing out a cotton towel and handing it to Shen Che, gesturing for him to dry himself. She thought, how spoiled he was—how nice it would have been if he had come up clean and tidy after freshening up downstairs, with maids to attend to him.
Shen Che didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he put his hands behind his head, about to lie down. Ji Cheng quickly pulled him back. “Wring out your hair before lying down.”
“You do it for me,” Shen Che pushed his head under Ji Cheng’s hands.
Ji Cheng glared at Shen Che for a moment but still knelt and started drying his hair with the cotton towel. Shen Che’s hand caressed the jade ring at Ji Cheng’s waist. “When you treat me so gently, I can’t help myself.”
What he couldn’t help was obvious without saying.
Water splashed everywhere. Ji Cheng lay soft and limp in the bath. Strangely, although no water had been heated, the pool was very warm. Shen Che lazily splashed water onto her body, contentedly watching the droplets slide down her shoulders. Then he picked up the whimpering and complaining Ji Cheng, saying, “We can’t soak for too long, or you’ll get dehydrated.”
Ji Cheng shook her legs in dissatisfaction, then snuggled in Shen Che’s arms, finding a comfortable spot to fall back asleep.
Night and day were two entirely different worlds. During the day, of course, one had to maintain appearances. Ji Cheng got up yawning, her eyelids still heavy. Yu Qian’er helped Ji Cheng put on her shoes. “Miss, why do you always seem to lack sleep lately?”
Hearing this, Ji Cheng’s heart tightened. Shen Che had been clingy recently, inviting her to Nine Li Courtyard almost every night. Even if they did nothing but silently brew and drink tea, Shen Che insisted on keeping her in Nine Li Courtyard.
Ji Cheng felt guilty, fearing Shen Che had noticed something, so she was especially tolerant of him. The two of them, one organizing news from the Western Regions and the other overseeing the big picture, were in sync, and their days were relatively peaceful.
However, it was already mid-April. Shen Yuan’s wedding date was set for the second day of May, and Shen Cui’s wedding was on June 12. If they didn’t hurry to make arrangements, it would be too late.
Ji Lan would eventually have to be released. With Shen Cui getting married, it was impossible for her, as the mother, not to come out and take charge.
Ji Lan’s spirit seemed fine, but she had lost a lot of weight, and her complexion wasn’t as fair as before. Perhaps because she hadn’t spoken to anyone for a long time, her speech was slow, as if she didn’t know how to express herself.
“Aunt,” Ji Cheng stepped forward to greet Ji Lan.
Ji Lan glanced at Ji Cheng. “You must be very pleased with yourself now.”
Ji Cheng lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Ji Lan looked at Ji Cheng’s appearance—her skin was glowing and full, radiant like the morning sun, clearly living a very satisfying life. In contrast to herself, it was easy to feel unbalanced.
Third Master Shen Ying had taken a new concubine during the time Ji Lan was in the family temple. She was the daughter of a down-and-out scholar, not nearly as beautiful as Ji Lan, but quiet and gentle. Shen Ying spent most of his time in this new concubine’s room.
When Ji Lan was released, Shen Ying only came to the main room for a brief visit before leaving.
Having just been released, Ji Lan knew it wasn’t the time to deal with Ji Cheng. “Have you been to see Cui recently?” Shen Cui hadn’t been released yet. According to the Old Madam’s wishes, she was to be confined until the day before her wedding.
Ji Cheng shook her head. “I went to see her at the beginning, but later the Old Madam found out and forbade anyone from visiting Cui.”
Ji Lan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Has anything happened outside during the days I was away?”
Ji Cheng thought for a moment and picked out a few important things to say, including the matter of the Wang family. Ji Lan listened in silence, then asked, “What about you? Have you curried favor with the Old Madam? Has your marriage been arranged?”
This was Ji Cheng’s sore spot. Ji Lan was asking on purpose. When she was first released, the Shen Wanli family had already told her everything they could.
“I am unworthy. This time when Father goes to the capital, I plan to return to Jin territory with him,” Ji Cheng said.
Looking at Ji Cheng’s constant yielding, Ji Lan seemed to find it uninteresting. Moreover, she was now only released to observe the situation, so she only reprimanded Ji Cheng a few times.
When Shen Che heard the news of Ji Lan’s release, he showed some concern. “Did Third Aunt give you a hard time?”
Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che suspiciously. “If she did, would you help me get revenge? Or would you join her in giving me a hard time?”
Shen Che pinched Ji Cheng’s cheek. “Still holding grudges? Didn’t your Ji family benefit from the private weapons business? This is a situation where cooperation is beneficial.”
Speaking of the weapons business, Ji Cheng’s father had made significant progress. The Tan and Chen families were busy trying to protect themselves and had no time to care about Yuan Qianhe. Ji Qing stepped forward to stabilize Governor Yuan’s heart, letting him know that the Shen family was supporting the Ji family. So now, the Ji family and the Ling family are showing trends of replacing the Tan and Chen families.
Because the Ji family controlled the export of weapons, they now had a say among those big shots in the Western Regions. Ji Cheng thought of Mei Chang He, figuring his actions would be more convenient now. However, there had been no news from Mei Chang He, which worried Ji Cheng a bit.
Shen Che fed a piece of honey-marinated fresh lotus root to Ji Cheng’s mouth. “What are you thinking about so intently?”
Ji Cheng came back to her senses and guiltily covered up, saying, “I’m thinking about what to give Cui as a dowry.”
Given Ji Cheng’s habits, she would have prepared the dowry long ago, not needing to rush at the last minute. Shen Che originally didn’t want to expose Ji Cheng’s lie, but seeing her gloomy expression, he couldn’t help but tease her, “What dowry would A’Cheng want when she gets married in the future?”
Ji Cheng maliciously thought, ‘Your head as a dowry would be nice,’ but outwardly she smiled and said, “I’m a vulgar person. If Cousin were to give me a dowry in the future, bank notes would be best.”
Shen Che smiled but didn’t respond.
In the early summer of April, Ji Cheng wasn’t the only one wanting to get married. With Shen Yuan’s wedding approaching, the Shen family naturally didn’t plan to hold the Hundred Flowers Banquet this year. But with the peonies blooming in the garden, the sisters naturally wanted to gather for some fun.
Shen Yun was the most enthusiastic, especially sending invitations to Ji Cheng and the others. Adding the guests staying in Qing Garden, there were more than ten young ladies at this banquet.
When Ji Cheng arrived, Shen Yun was leading Feng Qing around to greet everyone. Seeing Ji Cheng approach, she was about to come over to greet her when young Master Hong suddenly rushed out and pushed Ji Cheng. “You liar, I don’t want to see you!”
Ji Cheng was stunned by the push. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Ji Cheng came to her senses, nodded apologetically to Shen Yun, and ran after young Master Hong.
Despite his small size and short legs, young Master Hong ran quite fast when he was serious. Ji Cheng lifted her skirt and chased him to the edge of the West Lake Grotto before catching up.