Their trip to Nanzhao, though it had felt a little safer with Jun Beiyue by her side — allowing her to fully relax at night — had actually thrown far more at them than the last trip had. Ziqing was still quite exhausted.

Ever since exposing the identity of the man in black at the Court of Judicial Review, Ziqing had barely had a proper chance to rest. She’d thought this time, back in the capital, she might finally get a few good days of rest — but alas, they’d only stayed one night before having to set off again at the crack of dawn.

Inside the carriage, Ziqing was wrapped in a wool blanket, curled up in Jun Beiyue’s warm embrace, still fast asleep.

She was normally an early riser — it was only on winter mornings that she couldn’t seem to get up, always lingering in the warm covers until noon, when the sunlight finally grew warm.

This morning, it was Jun Beiyue who had carried her, blanket and all, straight into the carriage.

Watching Ziqing’s peaceful, sleeping face, the corners of Jun Beiyue’s mouth curved up unconsciously, a quiet sense of contentment settling over him that he himself hadn’t even noticed.

He’d originally thought about leaving this woman behind in Da Zhou to rest for a few days, since he wouldn’t be staying long at the Three Western Cities anyway. But worried she might sneak off to Liuxian Island behind his back, he’d finally decided to bring her along after all.

Call it domineering, call it controlling — either way, as long as they could avoid being apart in this lifetime, he intended to do everything in his power to make sure of it.

His long fingers couldn’t resist wandering over her cheek, careful not to wake her, yet unable to resist wanting to tickle her a little. Half-teasing, half-restrained, Ziqing stirred groggily a few times, prompting Jun Beiyue to let out a soft, amused chuckle.

At that, Ziqing finally blinked her eyes open groggily, staring blankly at him for a moment, then glancing at his fingers, before promptly turning her head to burrow into his chest, finding a comfortable spot and drifting right back to sleep.

Jun Beiyue immediately grew cautious — not daring to move his hand, not even daring to breathe too loudly, terrified of truly waking her. Such a cold-blooded man, yet reduced to this careful, tender wariness — truly hard to imagine.

Deep winter had already arrived, and the further north they traveled, the more the world turned to ice and snow. Jun Beiyue had originally thought Ziqing simply couldn’t get up in the mornings, but as it turned out, over the following days of travel, she spent nearly the entire time asleep, saying very little, rarely even opening her eyes.

Finally, on the evening they arrived at the Three Western Cities, the woman had slept her fill and was full of energy again.

The twelfth lunar month was nearly upon them, and the northern frontier lay blanketed in classic northern scenery. Inside the military tent, the air was thick with the smell of coal, a warm tiger-skin couch and a charcoal stove filling the space with cozy warmth.

Ziqing was curled up on the tiger-skin couch, leisurely sipping hot broth, her clear, bright eyes no longer drowsy, but sparkling and full of life once more.

Jun Beiyue glanced sideways at her, smiling with doting affection. “Woman… have you finally slept your fill?”

“I had to catch up on my sleep. Once I’m properly rested, I can go days and nights without sleeping at all,” Ziqing said, a little embarrassed, scooping up a spoonful of the hot broth and bringing it to Jun Beiyue’s lips as a reward. “You’ve worked hard these past few days.”

Though she’d spent most of the journey in a groggy haze, she’d always been aware that he’d stayed by her side without fail the entire time.

Jun Beiyue accepted graciously, drinking it down in one gulp, then smiled. “What other habits do you have? Tell me about them.”

“Nothing else, really,” Ziqing said, scooping up another spoonful and feeding it to him. “Besides never drinking soup at night and having a cup of green tea every morning, what other habits do you have? Tell me too.”

Jun Beiyue laughed. “Nothing much either — you’ll find out soon enough, now that you’re with me.”

Ziqing didn’t press further; the longer two people spent together, the more of each other’s habits they naturally noticed. Even without saying anything, she kept careful track of all of his.

Having just woken up, her stomach growling with hunger, she stopped bothering to feed Jun Beiyue and simply drank the rest of the broth herself in big gulps. A glint of mischief flashed through Jun Beiyue’s eyes as he leaned in closer, the meaning plain enough — he wanted more too.

Ziqing hesitated, reluctant to give it up, but after a moment’s thought handed the spoon over to him anyway.

Jun Beiyue only smiled without a word, and didn’t take the spoon — instead, he simply opened his mouth wide.

Ziqing felt a little embarrassed, but after a moment’s thought, fed him another spoonful after all. To her surprise, he held the broth in his mouth instead of swallowing, then suddenly leaned in close. Ziqing instinctively tilted back, eyes widening as she stared at him.

Jun Beiyue tilted his chin up slightly, the meaning unmistakable. Ziqing shook her head at once, but Jun Beiyue only narrowed his eyes and leaned in even closer, pressing her back until she nearly toppled over. He caught her with one arm, pulling her to rest in the crook of his elbow — this was his favorite position for her.

“Stop fooling around, I’m really hungry!” Ziqing said hastily. She knew exactly what he wanted, but this particular act was something she’d never done before — advanced-level stuff for her!

Jun Beiyue only kept smiling, his lips — as perfectly sculpted as if carved by hand — pressing against hers, leaving her no chance to protest.

Ziqing kept her mouth tightly shut, still refusing.

Jun Beiyue’s smile only grew more wickedly playful. His large hand slid up along her slender waist, and Ziqing, apparently experienced enough to know exactly how wicked he could be and what his next move would be, obediently parted her lips.

Beneath his cool lips, she carefully, cautiously parted her own small mouth bit by bit, feeling the cool softness of his lips against hers, gradually melting into the kiss — and amid the tangle, she distinctly felt a stream of warmth passing from his mouth into hers. It was the hot broth!

Though nowhere near as fastidious as Jun Beiyue, Ziqing had her own sense of cleanliness, and would normally find something like this — saliva and all — distasteful. And yet, somehow, coming from him, the sensation felt wonderful.

Once all the broth had passed into her mouth and she’d swallowed it clean, she found she still wanted more — the feeling was like secretly stealing a taste of honey, equal parts nervous apprehension and irresistible sweetness that made her crave another bite.

The broth long gone, their lips remained tangled together, and Ziqing finally grew greedy, shifting from passive to active, her tongue playfully venturing into his territory to tease.

Jun Beiyue was momentarily caught off guard, holding still to savor her clumsy response, but before long, her boldness had stirred him up so much he couldn’t help pushing her down.

“Woman… let’s…”

The words hung on the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly stopped himself, let out a soft laugh, and in the end withdrew after all. He’d never dared get too close, precisely for fear of losing control without being able to see it through properly.

Ziqing pouted, meeting his gaze, and laughed as well, throwing herself into his arms for a hug. “Hold me.”

“Prince Yao, you’ve been racing around nonstop searching for this concubine’s origins, chasing the secrets of the isolated island — all just for… for…” Ziqing trailed off, unable to say it, and Jun Beiyue generously finished for her. “Mm, all just to have you. That’s the only thing worth looking forward to, isn’t it?”

“Giving up the throne of Da Zhou, giving up dominion over all of Longyuan, all for a moment of passion — Prince Yao, this concubine really has become a bewitching temptress, haven’t I!” Ziqing pouted, feigning seriousness.

This immediately sent Jun Beiyue into a burst of laughter. “Now that you put it that way, there might actually be some truth to it!”

Of course, that wasn’t really why he wanted her — the Charm Incense lingering in her body was bound to cause problems sooner or later, and the secret of her true origins, her real family, was something she herself had always longed to know. Ziqing was merely joking around to make this man happy.

The Charm Incense inside her always managed to spoil his mood at the worst moments — she was practically mortified about it by now!

Seeing Jun Beiyue laughing so happily, Ziqing was about to say more, when Jun Beiyue suddenly turned serious. “Han Ziqing — a woman, and an empire — this prince wants them both. What about you?”

Ziqing gave a sly smile. “I’m not greedy. I only want you.”

To have a man who commanded the entire realm — that was practically the same as possessing the whole world!

“You really are clever, ha. As for the throne of Da Zhou…” Jun Beiyue was just about to continue, when Yingzi’s voice suddenly called from outside the tent. “My lord, we need to start getting ready — the banquet will begin soon.”

The throne of Da Zhou — Jun Beiyue rarely spoke of it, and Ziqing was certainly curious to hear more. But tonight’s banquet was extremely important, and there was no getting ready for it without at least half an hour’s preparation beforehand.

This banquet was the peace conference between Western Chu and Western Jing — setting aside the disputes over the terms of the treaty itself, the sheer display of pomp and ceremony alone would be a contest in its own right!

A contest between men.