The full moon gradually hidden, the red candle gradually extinguished, and the intense gasping in the room finally calmed down, originally entangled the two people are still tightly embraced, and can not be separated.
Yuanxi felt sore all over, but her heart was filled with infinite sweetness. She buried her blushing face in his strong arms, looking cute and shy, which stirred up the desire in Xiao Du again. He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, suddenly remembering something and clarified seriously, “Yuer, I’m not inexperienced.”
Yuanxi was surprised for a moment, then mischievously reached out to poke his firm muscles, pretending to be shy as she lowered her head and said, “I know.”
Xiao Du grabbed her hand and gently put it in his mouth, then asked, “Were you comfortable just now?”
Yuanxi’s face flushed hotly, she groaned softly, turned her back to him, and ignored him. Xiao Du frowned and asked, “Was it uncomfortable?” After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let’s try again, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied this time.”
Yuanxi turned her head to look at him in surprise, but before she could speak, he already sealed her lips with his. Her body went limp, allowing him to ravage her again, falling into another whirlpool of passion.
As the moon faded and the stars scattered, a faint light appeared on the horizon. In the disheveled red curtains, a voice gently sounded.
“A-Du…” Her voice trembled, with a hint of pleading.
“Yeah?” He skillfully responded, burying his head again, causing ripples in the pool of passion.
Yuanxi raised her hand to cover her face, her voice hoarse and tearful as she said, “I know you’re skilled, but I want to sleep now, okay…”
Xiao Du reluctantly raised his head, “What? Don’t you like it?” But she was so loud just now.
Even if Yuanxi had a good temper, she couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes at him. Unlike him, she didn’t have that much energy, and after a night of tossing and turning, she just wanted to sleep.
Xiao Du waited for her response for a while but didn’t get any. When he looked again, he found that she had fallen asleep. Looking at her exhausted sleeping face, he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. It was his fault for only focusing on performance and making her tired like this. Carefully, he covered her with the blanket, kissed her forehead gently, and then lay down beside her to sleep.
They slept until late morning. Xiao Du opened his eyes and saw her blushing face resting on his arm, her delicate eyelashes trembling gently. He reached out to play with the strands of hair that were entangled between them, feeling more satisfied than ever before.
Suddenly, the person in his arms moved, and her misty eyes slowly opened. In those watery eyes, he saw a tender and lazy look, which made him want to devour her again.
Yuanxi gradually woke up, but when she saw the same expression on his face as last night, she was startled and tried to struggle out of his arms. In the process, the blanket slipped off, and they both exclaimed. Although they had been intimate last night, suddenly being so exposed still made them feel embarrassed. Seeing the mess on the bed, they both blushed. Xiao Du quickly got up and handed Yuanxi her clothes. They didn’t dare to look at each other and silently got dressed amidst the thunderous beating of their hearts.
Yuanxi blushed as she tied her belt and took out a comb to tidy up the table. However, when she looked at the bronze mirror on the table, she was suddenly shocked. The person in the mirror had a flirtatious look, with flushed cheeks and disheveled hair falling over countless red marks on her chest. She couldn’t help but cover her face and let out a soft groan, unable to bear seeing her current appearance.
Xiao Du, who was putting on his clothes, walked over to her, feeling a little embarrassed. He took the comb from her hand and said, “Let me help you comb your hair.”
Yuanxi raised her head and asked curiously, “Can you comb your hair?”
Xiao Du bent down to look at her face in the mirror, smiling, and said, “I’ll have to learn from now on.”
Yuanxi gently put her hand down and looked at him through the mirror. Their eyes met, and both hearts were filled with tenderness and sweetness. Xiao Du awkwardly combed her hair, watching the bruises and marks on her neck, feeling guilty. He said, “I’m sorry for last night, I hurt you.”
Yuanxi shook her head silently, then watched him frown and struggle for a while, sweating on his head. She smiled and said, “Let me do it myself.”
After some tug of war, they finally got dressed properly. At this time, Feng Shu couldn’t bear to wait any longer and stood at the door, calling out, “Master Hou, breakfast and hot water are ready.”
The door “creaked” open, and Feng Shu saw Xiao Du standing straight in front of the door, his handsome face slightly flushed, and behind him was the shy Lady Hou, who was covering her face and neck with a silk fan. The room was filled with the lingering scent of passion, and the bed was covered in marks from last night’s intimacy. Even the experienced old Feng Shu felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly coughed twice, then pushed the copper basin in and said casually, “Breakfast has been reheated several times on the stove. Let me bring it to you.” Then he hurriedly left, feeling a bit sighful in his heart, “Young people nowadays really have no restraint.”
The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, not daring to stay longer, so they quickly had breakfast and left. When they returned to the Hou Mansion, the servants saw that Master and Madam hadn’t returned all night, and now Madam’s hair was messy, covering her face and neck with a silk fan. They immediately understood what had happened and excitedly spread the news as if something great had happened.
However, in Auntie Cai’s room, there seemed to be no trace of the joyous atmosphere. She was looking at her increasingly thin daughter with a soft voice and asked, “Is it tasty?”
Xiao Zhixuan raised her head from the bowl of almond paste, forced a smile, and said, “It’s delicious. Mother’s cooking is always delicious.”
Aunt Cai gazed at the dark circles under her eyes with great pity. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately, have you? You’ve lost so much weight.”
Xiao Zhixuan set down her bowl, her eyes somewhat melancholic. “Aunt, I don’t want to lie to Sister-in-law anymore. She’s been good to me. I confessed to her as you suggested that day, and I feel like she’s already beginning to suspect me. Now that we’re reunited, and Father treats you well, can’t we just stop everything? I’m really afraid that my brother and sister-in-law will hate me in the future.”
Aunt Cai sighed deeply. “I know it’s hard for you, Zhixuan. But I’ve done too much, and there’s no turning back now. However, rest assured, as long as the secrets I hold can be made public, the day we free ourselves is not far off.”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes filled with profound disappointment. “But Aunt, what exactly is the secret you’re talking about? Why have you never been willing to tell me?”
Aunt Cai affectionately touched her forehead. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. Wang Shuyao is the best example. Despite her thinking she was clever, in the end, she merely became someone else’s pawn. Simply put, saying too much can easily lead to one’s downfall.”
Xiao Zhixuan became increasingly puzzled, feeling a sense of unease creeping over her. She asked, “Is the secret Wang Aunt mentioned the same one you’re referring to?”
A self-satisfied expression flickered in Aunt Cai’s eyes. “I’m afraid what she knows is less than half of what I do. That’s why she hesitates, while I do not.”
She leisurely walked to the window, running her fingers slowly along the window frame. Suddenly, she asked, “Has your brother and Sister-in-law consummated their marriage?”
Xiao Zhixuan, puzzled, nodded blankly. “I just saw Sister-in-law, so it seems likely.”
Aunt Cai’s lips curled into a smirk as she gazed out at the fallen leaves outside the window. “Excellent. The drama in this mansion will only intensify in the future. We just need to play along and bide our time, Zhixuan. Trust me, we’ll be able to make our escape soon enough.”
She abruptly pushed open the paper window, startling a yellow oriole perched outside. It fluttered its wings over the eaves and landed on a carriage adorned with green curtains.
Inside the carriage, a warm fire crackled. His Highness Xiao Du held a teacup to his lips, unable to hide a subtle smile.
Xiao Chun attended to him on the side, inwardly marveling, “That’s the twenty-eighth time since getting on the carriage that His Highness has smiled to himself. Just because he finally got what he wanted to eat, is it worth being so pleased about?” Reflecting on his accomplishments, he couldn’t help but puff out his chest, feeling much more accomplished compared to the naive His Highness.
Just as he was thinking this, the carriage stopped outside a finely crafted small building. This was a renowned entertainment venue in the capital, where the singing courtesans were skilled in both music and dance. The private rooms were discreetly hidden, attracting many wealthy young men who enjoyed listening to music and having fun. Xiao Chun helped His Highness Xiao Du out of the carriage, unable to help but mutter to himself again. His Highness seemed particularly fond of this place, but he had just consummated his marriage yesterday, yet he was rushing here today. Something didn’t seem quite right. Was His Highness genuinely in love or just playing around?
With this thought in mind, Xiao Chun followed Xiao Du into a private room on the second floor. The room was connected to the adjacent one by a large screen adorned with flowers and birds, designed to cater to certain guests’ specific preferences.
As Xiao Du settled down, tapping impatiently on the armrest of his chair, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Hasn’t he arrived yet? Why is he so late today?”
A voice came from behind the screen. “Not yet, Your Highness. Please wait a moment longer.”
Xiao Du casually glanced at the courtesan downstairs, strumming her instrument and singing. He momentarily wondered whether the vibrant red dress suited her or if it would look better on Xie. Then he pondered the novelty of the pearl flower on her head, imagining how beautiful it would look on Xie. With love in his heart, everything seemed to revolve around her, infusing even the most mundane things with different hues.
Lost in his thoughts, Xiao Du was suddenly jolted back to reality as the screen was abruptly pulled aside. A man in plain attire bowed respectfully. “Lou Yuan pays his respects to Your Highness. I apologize for my tardiness today.”