Qi Jin dared not make a sound, pretending to be a piece of furniture in the room. She crouched by the table, peeking through her fingers. Ziyang Jun leaned against the bed, his head tilted back, a hand covering his eyes. Madam half-kneeled on the bed, one hand supporting the bedpost he leaned on, the other tucking stray hair behind her ear, her lips pressed against his fingers with a smile.
No artist could capture such a beautiful scene, as tender and enchanting as a long-lost dream brought by the spring breeze.
Qi Jin didn’t know what had happened during their separation, but inexplicably, watching this scene made her nose tingle.
“What are you doing?” The kissed man remained motionless, speaking in a muffled voice.
Huaiyu’s eyes sparkled. Seeing his hand refusing to relax, she whispered, “I’m coaxing you.”
“There’s no need.”
She reached out to support his wrist, which he had been holding up and smiled. “You’re right, how could Ziyang Jun need coaxing? Just mentioning his name would make the Northern Wei tremble.”
The thin lips before her tightened, showing a hint of annoyance.
Seeing this, Huaiyu’s smile deepened. “Shall I bring you some sweet pastries?”
“No.”
“Then, how about I hum a tune for you?”
“No.”
Pouting helplessly, Huaiyu sighed and looked at Qi Jin by the table. “Your master is hard to coax!”
Qi Jin shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no, the master… actually… uh, this servant will take her leave now!”
Realizing her presence was unnecessary, Qi Jin bowed, turned, and ran out, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Huaiyu chuckled softly, watching the door close. She then reached out to grasp the wrist of the man before her, pulling it down with some force.
Jiang Xuanjin frowned, unwilling to let her succeed, but she was cunning. Unable to match her strength, he let out a pained grunt.
His heart trembled, and he released his hand, wanting to see what was wrong with her. As his hand fell, a warm kiss landed on his eyes.
Her soft lips absorbed the moisture from his eyes, moving gently, tracing his nose, seeking his lips. With a sigh, she finally pressed down on them.
“I won’t bully you anymore,” she murmured, “I won’t bully you ever again, okay?”
His body trembled, and Jiang Xuanjin opened his eyes, seeing her gaze, clear and sincere, filled with a truthfulness even dreams couldn’t offer, looking steadily into his eyes.
His palm grew warm, and his expression softened. He reached out to support her waist, letting her lean back against the soft pillow, then leaned down, pressing his lips against hers with restraint. As her teeth parted, he invaded, holding the back of her neck, fiercely sucking on her tongue.
“Mm.” Huaiyu was momentarily stunned, then relaxed, gently accommodating him, her hand stroking his back soothingly.
“Don’t move,” he rasped after a long, deep kiss, burying his head in her neck. “Don’t move.”
His voice usually tinged with the scent of incense, was now colored with the hues of the mundane world.
If it were any other girl, realized what was happening, she might blush and stay still. But Li Huaiyu, the little tyrant of the Li family, was different. Even with her face flushed, she mischievously explored further.
“You…” She blinked, teasing, “You haven’t been with anyone else, have you?”
A faint pink spread from his neck upwards, and Jiang Xuanjin, annoyed, gritted his teeth. “Shut up!”
“Okay, I’ll shut up.” Obediently closing her lips, Huaiyu said nothing, only smiling at him.
Jiang Xuanjin’s face grew redder, his body trembling slightly until he couldn’t resist capturing her mischievous hand. “Li Huaiyu!”
She’s still pregnant! How could they… how could they be like this?
For Jiang San Gongzi, who found even bathing together absurd, being intimate with a round belly in between was a complete violation of the propriety he had adhered to for years. Not, no way, under no circumstances!
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, looking down at her belly, and said seriously, “I’m its mother, you’re its father, what are you afraid of?”
He dared not press against her belly, needing to support himself with one hand on the bed. How could one hand compete with her two? After several rounds, she pinned his hand behind his back.
“Didn’t you say you’d give me anything I wanted as long as I stopped crying?” Huaiyu feigned anger. “Ziyang Jun, are you going back on your word?”
Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned blue.
He knew she always wanted things different from others, but he hadn’t expected it to be this different.
Her soft hand teased him mercilessly, and he couldn’t help but bite her earlobe, his body arching like a taut bow. A sound escaped his throat, unable to be suppressed.
“Stop fooling around… Huaiyu, stop fooling around.”
“I’m worried about you. What if you get all pent up?” The person beneath him smiled, her words brushing his ear, sending shivers through him.
Jiang Xuanjin was at a loss, unable to stop her, afraid to move lest he hurt her, unable to break free.
The room grew warm, like the bright sun of early spring, the red canopy thick with passion, hard to dispel. Chengxu and Yufeng had intended to eavesdrop, but halfway through, they couldn’t bear it, fleeing with red faces.
Madam is formidable, Madam is mighty! Their master had seemed to be in the depths of hell this morning, yet in the blink of an eye, he had returned to the world of the living. No wonder they say even heroes can’t resist a beauty’s charms. Madam’s barrier was well set, and it was fine if the master couldn’t pass!
Xu Chunian was waiting for Huaiyu to have some free time to chat, but even by lunchtime, no one had emerged from the room.
Having been married, she could guess what was happening and couldn’t help but worry. “Isn’t there a problem?”
Qi Jin stood by, confidently saying, “The master knows his limits.”
In the entire courtyard, the person most worried about Madam was the master. Anyone could hurt her, but he wouldn’t.
Xu Chunian was still a bit concerned. Chi Jin quietly finished his meal, then put down his chopsticks and asked her, “A new batch of medicinal herbs has arrived at the pharmacy in the west of the city. Shall we go take a look and bring some back for the princess’s medicinal meals?”
“Sure!” It was a good idea, and Chunian nodded in agreement, adding, “But I’m not very good at identifying herbs. Should we bring Physician Qi along?”
Chi Jin shook his head. “No need, I can recognize them.”
Jiu Wu, Qingxian, and Bai Ai at the table: “…”
Since when could he recognize medicinal herbs? How come none of the brothers knew?
Jiu Wu scrutinized Chi Jin for a moment, then suddenly said, “Since you’re going out, why not take a detour and bring back some candles from the general store for the residence?”
Chi Jin looked at him in confusion. “Candles?”
Jiu Wu nodded. “Last night, most of the candles in the residence burned out. If we don’t replenish them, we’ll be in the dark.”
Xu Chunian listened, feeling a bit guilty. She hadn’t slept last night, and many candles had burned in her room, so she immediately agreed. “Okay.”
She was the only one who didn’t catch on, oblivious to the teasing. Jiang Shen watched with a cold smile, half-closing his eyes as he looked at Chi Jin.
Using such old tricks on people?
Chi Jin met his gaze calmly, asking, “When does Jiang Er Gongzi plan to leave?”
Their eyes met, and in a flash, both understood the other’s thoughts.
“No need for your concern,” Jiang Shen chuckled. “When the beauty returns, I will naturally return.”
“Beauty?” Chi Jin was slightly puzzled as if wondering which beauty he was referring to.
Qingxian chimed in, “Jiang Er Gongzi’s charm has overflowed from the capital to Ziyang. There are so many beauties. If they all return, won’t the household be in chaos?”
“Not necessarily,” Jiu Wu scooped some soup. “Now that the Jiang family is based in Ziyang, Er Gongzi can build a large estate anywhere, accommodating three thousand beauties is no problem.”
Chi Jin suddenly understood, respectfully cupping his hands to Jiang Shen, then quietly said to Xu Chunian, “Let’s go.”
Chunian lowered her eyes, softly responding, and stood up to leave with him.
“Hey.” Jiang Shen couldn’t hold back, getting up to block her path.
“What does Er Gongzi want?” Xu Chunian didn’t lift her head.
“Third Brother was talking nonsense. You have to believe me,” he frowned. “I only took Jiang Yan to a brothel in Ziyang once, and I left without doing anything. You can ask Jiang Yan if you don’t believe me!”
Her body stiffened, and Chunian’s expression was complicated. “Er Gongzi is now explaining these things to me.”
Jiang Shen was at a loss for words, knowing she still remembered his past nights of debauchery, his voice softened. “I’m changing.”
He was slowly changing everything she disliked about him, hoping he could change for the better.
However, there was no joy on Xu Chunian’s face. She nodded indifferently, bypassed him, and continued walking with Chi Jin, saying as they walked, “It’s not far, so we don’t need to take a carriage, right?”
“Whatever you prefer,” Chi Jin replied softly, handing her a cloak brought by a servant, and watching her put it on.
Jiang Shen stood there, stunned, suddenly feeling that it was truly over between them.
In the past, when Xu Chunian was angry, he could coax her, and it would be fine. Later, when coaxing didn’t work, admitting his mistakes would. But if even admitting and correcting his mistakes didn’t work, how could he earn her forgiveness?
He had tried every method, but none worked.
The person who once tolerated him the most, who admired him the most, had withdrawn her patience and enthusiasm. No matter how much he regretted it, she walked away without looking back.
“Why?” Jiang Shen couldn’t understand, muttering to himself.
Qingsi passed by with a bowl glanced at him, and answered softly, “She’s not blind anymore.”
Love can blind a person, making it hard to distinguish right from wrong. Even if they’ve suffered countless grievances, as long as the person they love is still there, they won’t want to leave. Such a girl is foolish, offering everything for a fraction in return, and still feeling content.
But one day, she’ll open her eyes. After enough pain, she’ll look at her wounds and gradually see the person before her. Once she sees clearly, she’ll never be fooled again.
Miss Xu is a gentle person, but gentleness doesn’t mean she won’t resist. In other words, the gentler a person is, the more complete the break when it comes.