Qi Jin dared not make a sound, pretending to be a piece of furniture in the room, covering her eyes and squatting at the table, peeking out through the gaps between her fingers.
Lord Ziyang reclined on the edge of the bed, tilting his head back with his hand covering his eyes. Lady Li half-knelt on the bed, one hand propping up the bed mast he leaned against, the other gathering the loose strands of her hair near her ear, lips curved as she pressed them against his fingers.
No painter, no matter how skilled, could capture such a beautiful scene, as enchanting as an old dream brought back by the spring breeze of ten miles.
Qi Jin didn’t know what had happened during the time they were apart, but inexplicably, watching this scene made her nose tingle.
“What are you doing?” The person being kissed remained motionless, speaking in a muffled voice.
Huaiyu’s eyes sparkled. Looking at his hand that wouldn’t loosen, she whispered, “I’m soothing you.”
“Not needed.”
She reached out and supported the wrist he had been holding up all along, smiling, “Indeed, how could Lord Ziyang need comforting? He’s a towering figure, whose name, when spoken, shakes the Northern Wei dynasty.”
The thin lips before her tightened, revealing a hint of annoyance.
Huaiyu looked at him, her smile deepening, “How about I bring you a plate of sweet treats?”
“No.”
“Then, shall I hum a tune for you?”
“No.”
Pouting helplessly, Huaiyu sighed, glancing at Qi Jin at the table, “Your Highness is really hard to please!”
Qi Jin shook her head like a drum: “No, no, no, His Highness… actually… um, this servant will take her leave first!”
Sensing her redundancy, Qi Jin bowed, turned, and rushed out, her movements flowing like water, considerately closing the door behind her.
Huaiyu chuckled lightly as the door closed. She then opened her fingers and grasped the wrist of the person in front of her, exerting force to pull it down.
Jiang Xuanjin frowned, reluctant to yield, but she was cunning. Unable to match her strength, he groaned in pain.
His heart skipped a beat, and he released his grip, wanting to see what was wrong with her. As his hand dropped, warm lips descended upon his eyes.
The soft, gentle lips absorbed the moisture in his eyes, tracing circles, brushing against his nose, finding his lips, sighing softly, and finally pressing down.
“I won’t tease you anymore,” she murmured, “I won’t tease you anymore, okay?”
His body trembled slightly, and Jiang Xuanjin opened his eyes, seeing her eyes, clear and filled with an affection he had never seen before, gazing intently into his.
Feeling warmth in his palm, his expression softened, and he reached out to support her waist, allowing her to lean back against the soft pillow, then pressed down, restraining himself as he kissed her lips. When her teeth relaxed, he invaded, his hand cradling the back of her neck, fiercely sucking on her tongue.
“Mmm.” Huaiyu was momentarily stunned, then relaxed her body, tenderly accommodating him, her hand stroking his spine gently, one stroke after another.
“Don’t move.” After a long, deep kiss, Jiang Xuanjin hoarsely buried his head in her ear, “Don’t move.”
His voice, usually carrying the scent of incense, was now stained with the hue of passion.
If it were any other girl, feeling something like this, she might blush and remain still. But this daughter of the Li family, the little overlord, was different. Even if her face turned red with embarrassment, she would still stubbornly explore further.
“You…” Blinking, she teased, “Really haven’t touched anyone else?”
A faint pink spread from her neck, Jiang Xuanjin grew annoyed, gritting his teeth, “Shut up!”
“Okay, I’ll shut up.” She obediently closed her lips, not saying another word, just smiling at him.
Jiang Xuanjin’s face grew redder, his body trembling lightly. Finally, unable to resist, he reached out to capture her misbehaving hand, “Li Huaiyu!”
Still pregnant! How could… how could they be so intimate?
For Jiang San Gongzi, who found even bathing together absurd, being affectionate across a round, bulging belly would ruin years of his adherence to propriety. Not, under any circumstances, no matter what!
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, lowering her head to look at her belly, and said earnestly, “I’m its mother, you’re its father, what are you afraid of?”
He didn’t dare to press on her belly, his hand propped against the bed, trying to block with just one hand, but how could it match her two hands? After a few rounds, her hand was caught by her, and pinned behind him.
“Didn’t you say you’d give me anything as long as I stopped crying?” Huaiyu pretended to be angry, “Doesn’t Lord Ziyang keep his word?”
“…” Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned purple.
This person always wanted things that were different from others, he knew, but he never expected it to be to this extent.
Her soft, gentle hands teased the deadly spot back and forth. Unable to resist, he instinctively bit her earlobe, his body arching like a taut bow. Uncontrollably, a sound escaped his throat.
“Don’t… Huaiyu, stop it,” he pleaded.
“I feel sorry for you, what if you burst from holding it in?” The person beneath him was smiling, her words brushed against his ear, her breath trembling as it passed, sending shivers down his spine.
Jiang Xuanjin was at a loss, wanting to stop her but unable to, wanting to move but afraid of hurting her, wanting to resist… but unable to resist.
The room grew warm, like a rising sun in March, the red curtains filled with profound meaning, the surging passion difficult to quell. Cheng Xu and Yu Feng had originally intended to eavesdrop by the wall, but halfway through, they couldn’t bear it and fled with flushed faces.
Madam was formidable, Madam was majestic! Their master, who had seemed to be in hell just this morning, had returned to earth in the blink of an eye. No wonder they said heroes struggle at the hands of beauties, Madam had set up such a hurdle, and if the master couldn’t get past it, so be it!
Xu Chuniang had been waiting for Huaiyu to have some free time so they could chat, but by lunchtime, no one had come out of the room.
As someone who had experienced the wedding night, she knew what was going on, and couldn’t help but feel a little worried: “Will everything be okay?”
Qi Jin stood beside her, assuredly saying, “His Highness knows his limits.”
Of everyone in the courtyard, His Highness was the most worried about Madam. Anyone else could potentially hurt her, but only he wouldn’t.
Xu Chuniang still felt somewhat concerned. After they finished eating, she put down her chopsticks and asked, “The pharmacy in the west of the city has received a new batch of medicinal herbs. Do you want to go and see if they have some to bring back for His Highness’s medicinal meals?”
“Okay!” This was a good idea, so Xu Chuniang nodded in agreement, then added, “But I’m not very good at identifying medicinal herbs. Should we bring Lady Qi with us?”
Qi Jin shook her head, “No need, I recognize them.”
At the table, Ju Wu, Qing Xian, and Bai Ai exchanged glances: “…”
Since when did he know how to recognize medicinal herbs? How come they had no idea?
Ju Wu scrutinized Qi Jin for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “Since you’re going out anyway, why don’t you take a detour and go to the grocery store to bring back some candles for the mansion?”
Qi Jin looked at him puzzled, “Candles?”
Ju Wu nodded, “Last night, most of the candles in the mansion were burned out. If we don’t replenish them, it’ll be dark.”
Listening to this, Xu Chuniang felt a little guilty. She hadn’t slept well last night, and they had burned quite a few candles in the room, so she immediately agreed, “Okay.”
It seemed she couldn’t hear anything, and even helped count the money after being sold out. Jiang Shen watched from the side with a cold smile, squinting at Qi Jin.
Using all those old tricks on people?
Chi Jin calmly met his gaze and asked, “When is Second Young Master Jiang leaving?”
Their eyes met, sparks flew, and in an instant, both sides understood the other’s intentions.
“No need to worry about it.” Jiang Shen chuckled lightly. “When the beauty returns, I will naturally return.”
“Beauty?” Chi Jin was slightly puzzled, seeming to wonder which beauty he was referring to.
Qing Xian beside him interjected directly, “Second Young Master Jiang is full of charm in the capital and overflowing in Ziyang. How many beauties are there? They’re all returning, I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to find peace at home.”
“Not necessarily.” Ju Wu scooped up some soup. “Now that the Jiang family is based in Ziyang, the Second Young Master can build a mansion anywhere. It wouldn’t be difficult to accommodate three thousand beauties.”
Chi Jin suddenly understood. He nodded admiringly at Jiang Shen, then whispered to Xu Chuniang, “Let’s go.”
Xu Chuniang, with lowered eyes, softly agreed and stood up to leave with him.
“Hey.” Jiang Shen couldn’t help himself and stepped forward to block her path.
“What is it, Second Young Master?” Xu Chuniang didn’t even raise her head.
“Third Brother was talking nonsense, don’t believe him.” He frowned. “I’ve only been to a brothel in Ziyang once with Jiang Yan, and we didn’t do anything before leaving. You can ask Jiang Yan if you don’t believe me!”
She stiffened, her expression complicated as she said, “Second Young Master seems to be willing to explain these things to me now.”
Jiang Shen choked, knowing she still remembered his past nights of revelry. His voice softened slightly. “I’m changing.”
He was slowly changing everything she didn’t like about him. Surely he could change this too?
However, Xu Chuniang’s face showed no trace of pleasure, nodding expressionlessly, she walked past him and continued with Chi Jin, saying as they walked, “Since it’s not far, we don’t need to take a carriage, right?”
“Either way,” Chi Jin murmured, handing her the cloak brought by the servant and watching her put it on.
Jiang Shen stared blankly, suddenly feeling that he and her were truly finished.
In the past, when Xu Chuniang was angry, he could coax her back easily, or apologize later. But if even admitting fault and making changes were useless, how could he earn her forgiveness?
He had tried every method, to no avail.
The person who had once been the most tolerant of him, the most admiring, had withdrawn her patience and eagerness, leaving him despite his regrets. And she didn’t even look back.
“Why?” Jiang Shen couldn’t understand, muttering to himself.
Xu Chuniang passed by him with a bowl in hand, glanced at him, and answered softly, “She’s not blind.”
Love can blind a person, making them unable to distinguish right from wrong, even if they suffer grievances. As long as the person they love is still there, they are unwilling to leave openly. Such a girl is very foolish, holding onto ten good points to exchange for one point in return, and still feeling sweet about it.
But one day, she will open her eyes, when the pain becomes too much, she will also open her eyes to look at her wounds, and gradually see the person in front of her. Once she sees clearly, she will never be fooled again.
Miss Xu is a weak person, but weakness does not mean she will not resist. In other words, the gentler a person is, the more thorough the break will be.