The full moon gradually faded and the red candles slowly died out. The intense breathing sounds in the room finally quieted down, and the two who had just been entangled still held each other tightly, reluctant to separate for a long time.
Yuanxi felt her whole body was sore and aching, yet her heart surged with infinite sweetness. She buried her head in his strong arms with a red face, her obedient and shy appearance making Xiao Du’s just-calmed desire stir again uncontrollably. He lowered his head to gently kiss her forehead, suddenly remembering something and clarifying very seriously, “Xi’er, I’m not inexperienced at all.”
Yuanxi was stunned, seeing him staring at her nervously as if afraid his first performance would be disliked. She couldn’t help but playfully reach out to poke his firm muscles, lowering her head shyly, “I know.”
Xiao Du grabbed her finger and gently took it into his mouth, asking again, “Were you comfortable just now?”
Yuanxi’s face burned hot instantly. She hummed moodily and turned away, ignoring him. Xiao Du frowned, “Weren’t you comfortable?” He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully, “Then let’s try again. This time I’ll definitely satisfy you.”
Yuanxi turned to look at him in shock, but before she could speak, her lips were already blocked by his. Her body went limp as she let him brazenly ignite fires all over her body, following him into another whirlpool.
The moon hid and stars grew sparse, the horizon slowly showing a hint of fish-belly white. From within the red curtains that had been tossing for who knows how long, a soft voice emerged.
“A’Du…” Her voice trembled at the end, carrying a pleading tone.
“Hmm?” Having tasted the marrow and grown skillful through practice, he was buried in his work, once again stirring up ripples in the spring water.
Yuanxi raised her hand to cover her face, her voice hoarse with a crying tone, “I know you’re very skilled and very impressive, but I really want to sleep now, please…”
Xiao Du reluctantly raised his head, “What, don’t you like it?” But she had clearly been calling out loudly just now.
Even with Yuanxi’s good temper, she couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes at him. She didn’t have his vigorous stamina to toss about all night without feeling tired. All she knew was that her whole body was nearly falling apart from his ministrations, and she was exhausted and just wanted a good sleep.
Xiao Du waited a while for her response, but when he looked again, he discovered she had already fallen asleep. Looking at her extremely tired sleeping face, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat self-reproachful. It was all his fault for only caring about showing off, making her so exhausted. He carefully pulled the brocade quilt up for her, kissed her forehead gently, then held her as they slept together.
They slept until the sun was high in the sky before stirring awake. Xiao Du opened his eyes to see her flushed little face pillowed on his arm, her feathery lashes trembling lightly. Even the fine down on her face was clearly visible. He reached out to play with their tangled hair, feeling he had never had such a satisfying moment.
Suddenly, the person in his arms moved, her drowsy eyes slowly opening. In her rippling gaze was reflected his image, sweet and lazy in appearance, making him want to devour her again.
Yuanxi gradually became clear-headed, but seeing him show that same expression from last night, she was startled and quickly tried to struggle out of his embrace. However, she accidentally pulled down the brocade quilt, causing both of them to exclaim “Ah!” Although they had been intimate last night, suddenly seeing each other so exposed still made them somewhat shy. Looking at the bed already in complete disarray, with traces of last night’s lovemaking everywhere, both their faces reddened. Xiao Du hurriedly got up to hand Yuanxi her clothes, and neither dared to raise their heads as they silently dressed to the sound of thunderous heartbeats.
Yuanxi tied her sash with a red face and took out a comb to go to the table to wash and groom herself. But when she looked into the bronze mirror on the table, she was shocked. The person in the mirror had seductive eyes like silk, flushed cheeks, and black hair scattered down over countless red marks on her chest. She couldn’t help but cover her face and hum softly, not daring to look at her current appearance.
Xiao Du put on his clothes and walked to her side, also somewhat embarrassed. He took the comb from her hand, “Let me comb your hair.”
Yuanxi looked up curiously, “Do you know how?”
Xiao Du bent down to stare at her face in the mirror, smiling, “I’ll have to learn to comb it from now on.”
Yuanxi gently put her hands down, also looking at him through the mirror. Their gazes intertwined, both hearts full of tenderness and sweetness. Xiao Du clumsily combed her hair stroke by stroke. Seeing her neck covered with bruises and red marks, he said somewhat apologetically, “Yesterday was my fault. Did I hurt you?”
Yuanxi silently shook her head, then seeing him frowning and struggling for a long time until sweat appeared on his forehead, she laughingly took her hair back, “Let me do it myself.”
The two of them pulled and tugged, finally managing to get properly dressed. At this time, Uncle Feng, who had been waiting too long in the courtyard, couldn’t help but stand at the door and call out, “My lord, breakfast and hot water are ready.”
The door opened with a creak. Uncle Feng saw Xiao Du standing straight at the door, his handsome face slightly red, with the embarrassed madam behind him who didn’t dare raise her head. The room was filled with the atmosphere of passion, and the bed showed traces everywhere. Even this old man who had seen much of the world felt somewhat embarrassed, quickly coughing twice and bringing the copper basin in his hands through the door, pretending nonchalantly, “Breakfast has been kept warm on the stove several times. Let me go get it for you.” Then he ran away as if escaping, thinking to himself, “Young people these days really don’t know restraint.”
The two looked at each other awkwardly, not daring to stay long. They hurriedly ate and took their leave. After returning to the Marquis manor, the servants saw that the Marquis and Madam had been away all night, and now the Madam’s hair was disheveled, using a silk fan to slant across her face and neck. Their hearts immediately filled with understanding, and they hurriedly ran to spread the news excitedly, as if some great joyous event had occurred.
But in Concubine Cai’s room, it seemed not touched by this joy at all. She was looking at her increasingly thin daughter in front of her, asking gently, “Does it taste good?”
Xiao Zhixuan looked up from the bowl of almond paste, forcing a smile, “It tastes good. Everything Mother makes tastes good.”
Concubine Cai looked at the dark circles under her eyes, saying with great pity, “You haven’t been sleeping well lately, have you? How did you become so thin?”
Xiao Zhixuan put down the bowl, her eyes somewhat dim, “Mother, I don’t want to deceive sister-in-law anymore. She’s really very good to me. That day I already went to confess to her as you said, and I feel she’s starting to suspect me. Since we can already be reunited, and now Father treats you well too, can we not do anything more from now on? I’m really afraid that Big Brother and sister-in-law will hate me to death later.”
Concubine Cai sighed deeply, “Good Xuan’er, I know this is hard on you. But Mother has already done too much and can’t turn back now. However, don’t worry. As long as the secret I hold can be made public, the day we can escape won’t be far.”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes held deep disappointment, “But Mother, what exactly is this secret you speak of? Why have you never been willing to tell me?”
Concubine Cai lovingly touched her forehead hair, “It’s not that Mother doesn’t want to tell you, it’s just that the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. Wang Shunyao is the best example. She thought she was so clever, but in the end was just someone else’s chess piece, easily eliminated when they said to eliminate her.”
Xiao Zhixuan understood even less, only feeling inexplicably panicked, “Was the secret Concubine Wang spoke of that day the same one you know, Mother?”
Concubine Cai’s eyes showed a proud expression, “I’m afraid what she knew wasn’t even half of what I know, so she had concerns while I have none.”
She slowly walked to the window, her fingers slowly rubbing along the window frame, suddenly saying, “Have your big brother and sister-in-law really consummated their marriage?”
Xiao Zhixuan didn’t understand, nodding blankly, “I just went to see sister-in-law earlier, and it seems they have.”
Concubine Cai curved her lips, looking at the fallen leaves covering the ground outside the window, “Very good. The drama in this manor will become more and more lively from now on. We just need to fish in troubled waters. Xuan’er, you must trust Mother. As long as we find the right timing, we can soon retreat unscathed.”
She suddenly pushed open the paper window, startling a yellow oriole that had been perched outside. It fluttered its wings over the layers of roof tiles and landed on a carriage hung with blue curtains.
Inside the carriage, charcoal burned warmly. Xiao Du held a tea cup in his hand, bringing it to his lips for a light sip, but couldn’t hide the unconscious smile.
Xiao Chun served at his side while thinking to himself, “That’s twenty-eight times now. Since getting in the carriage, my lord has smiled secretly twenty-eight times. Just because he finally got what he wanted, is it worth being so pleased?” Thinking of his own fruitful track record, he couldn’t help but straighten his chest, feeling he was much more accomplished compared to his pure-hearted lord.
Just as he was thinking this, the carriage stopped outside a small building with carved railings and jade structures. This was a famous place for music and dance in the capital, where the singing girls were all talented and beautiful, and the private rooms were very discreetly arranged. Many wealthy young masters liked to come here to listen to music and make merry. Xiao Chun helped Xiao Du down from the carriage while unable to stop wondering—his lord seemed to particularly like coming here, but having just consummated his marriage yesterday and already rushing here today seemed somewhat improper. Was his lord pure-hearted or dissolute?
Carrying this puzzle, he followed Xiao Du into a private room on the second floor. This room was connected to the adjacent room, separated by a large colorful screen with birds and flowers. Such an arrangement was for certain special preferences of many guests.
Xiao Du saw Xiao Chun looking absent-minded and couldn’t help but glare at him, “What are you thinking about? Go guard outside.”
Xiao Chun came back to his senses, quickly left with a smile, concluding in his heart that his master’s thoughts were unfathomably deep and he’d better not guess.
Xiao Du lifted his robe and sat down, his fingers impatiently tapping the chair arm as he frowned, “Hasn’t he come yet? Why is he so late today?”
A voice came from behind the screen, “Not yet. Please wait a moment longer, my lord.”
Xiao Du casually cast his gaze on the singing girl playing the qin and singing downstairs, thinking at one moment that this red dress looked vulgar on her but would be more flattering on Xi’er. At another moment, he thought the pearl flowers in her hair were of novel design and would surely look beautiful on Xi’er’s head.
Because of love, he felt his heart and eyes were full of her, and any ordinary thing could take on different colors because of her.
Just as he was lost in thought, the screen suddenly rustled open with a crash. A person in a blue shirt with plain sash bowed to him respectfully, “Luo Yuan pays respects to my lord. I came late today and hope my lord won’t blame me.”