Chapter 41 Dream of Death. She caught him red-handed.

The mornings in the mountains come a little late, and the sunlight breaks through the floating mist, sprinkling in wisps before the windows of the Genmeiden Hall.

The maids under the eaves were already bustling about quietly as they passed by.

Ah Yu stood at the entrance of the sleeping quarters, turning back every now and then to look around and listen carefully to the sounds coming from inside.

Ayan stood to the side, her brows also furrowed.

Nothing more than too many strange things happened this morning!

The strangest thing was that it was already past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and the room was still quiet; Jing Hui had not yet gotten up.

The two exchanged a glance and then looked at Lu Qingyue, who was standing on the other side of the door.

Lu Qingyue grew up in the desert, practically growing up amidst the yellow sand.

He rarely saw such a beautiful place, so ever since he arrived at Xiaolishan, he had been in a state of excitement, and even stayed up all night to watch the mountain from the entrance of the palace.

At dawn, Xiaolishan Mountain seemed like a goddess unveiling her face, even more enchanting than when we first saw it yesterday.

Lu Qingyue was enjoying the view with a smile on her face when two sharp glares suddenly pierced his chest.

His smile froze, and he asked, "...Sisters, what's wrong?"

Ah Yu strode forward, about to raise her voice to question him, but then glanced at the door and, afraid of waking Jing Hui, could only lower her voice and ask Lu Qingyue with eyes full of anger.

"We weren't here yesterday, so when did your general stop tormenting the princess? It's already past 7 AM, why hasn't she woken up yet?!"

Lu Qingyue was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand, put on a fake smile, and said, "How would I know about the affairs between these masters? Perhaps the two of you talked about the past last night and got so carried away that you talked until dawn."

"You're full of empty talk!"

Ah Yu angrily retorted, "While we were away, you and your servant ganged up to bully the princess!"

The servants' rooms in the palace were small side rooms next to the sleeping quarters. When Ayu and Ayan came to guard Jinghui, they never closed the door.

When the two woke up in the morning, they saw the closed door and hurriedly ran to the entrance of the bedroom. They asked the maid and learned that Lu Qingyue had been guarding the place all night.

The important thing is that Lu Qingyue sent water into the palace twice last night.

How could these women, who had grown up serving their masters in the palace since childhood, not know what was going on when water was delivered at night?

Moreover, the fact that Jing Hui is still unconscious further confirms this.

"I swear to God."

Lu Qingyue raised his hand, blinked, and said sincerely, "The princess is so noble, how could the general bully her?"

It's just... affection.

Lu Qingyue silently tried to make amends for Lu Songyuan in her heart.

Ayu got angry at his expression and became even more convinced that he was the one who closed their door, which was why she and Ayan couldn't hear Jinghui's voice!

Just as I was about to continue yelling at him, I suddenly heard a noise inside the house.

Ayan immediately pulled Ayu aside, put her index finger to her lips, and shook her head.

"Sh-!"

Ah Yu immediately fell silent, and the three of them looked together at the tightly closed bedroom door.

As the sun shifted slightly, its light streamed through the window cracks and fell on Jing Hui's hands, which were resting on the edge of the bed.

Last night, Lu Songyuan was even more annoying than when he was drunk last time. He kept pulling Jing Hui to help him, and Jing Hui was woken up several times when she was almost asleep.

After several attempts, Jing Hui couldn't take it anymore. She broke free from Lu Songyuan's embrace, lay down on the edge of the bed, and went to rest in the side hall.

"I don't care about you anymore, let go of me!"

Jing Hui blinked her watery eyes and turned to glare at Lu Songyuan.

Lu Songyuan had just made a slight breakthrough, so he didn't dare to bully people too much.

"Okay, then let's ignore it."

Lu Songyuan bit Jing Hui's neck and mumbled, "You sleep, I'll help you bathe in a while."

Jing Hui pushed him away again, her tongue tied from sleep, "Don't touch me again..."

"Um."

Lu Songyuan chuckled, hugged Jing Hui from behind, and kept her by the bedside. He coaxed her for a while until she was completely asleep before calling someone to bring her water.

After much fussing, her clothes and bedding were stained with some stains, with the most on Jing Hui's abdomen and quite a bit on her neck. Lu Songyuan looked at her and thought she looked incredibly beautiful at that moment.

An even stranger thought came to mind, but Lu Songyuan fiercely restrained himself, suppressing the intense desire in his heart to fill her with desire, and instructed Lu Qingyue to tidy up the bedding.

He carried Jing back to the inner palace, cleaned her up, placed her on a clean bed, and watched over her for a long time before finally falling asleep.

After sleeping for about two hours, it was dawn outside the bed, and Lu Songyuan started to bother Jing Hui again.

Jing Hui was fast asleep, but she was woken up several times by someone biting and nibbling at her body.

Having slept in a daze until now, Jing Hui, still grumpy from waking up, pushed away Lu Songyuan who was lying on top of her.

"Are you never going to stop?!"

Jing Hui had just woken up. Her eyes were still blurry and the tip of her nose was a little red. She sniffed and slapped Lu Songyuan on the neck.

Lu Songyuan lowered his head and nuzzled Jing Hui's collarbone, then bit her shoulder before asking, "You're awake. Does your hand still hurt?"

"you……"

Jing Hui reached out and pushed Lu Songyuan's face away. She moved for a moment before realizing what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "Why aren't you dressed!"

Lu Songyuan asked calmly, "Why would I need to wear this when I'm with you?"

The events of last night flashed before Jing Hui's eyes, and she abruptly closed them. "Shameless!"

"Why should I, a general, obey any of those rules in front of you?"

After Lu Songyuan finished speaking, he reached under Jing Hui's waist, pulled her over, and let her lie on top of him. He looked up at her and asked, "Azhu, do you still remember what we talked about last night?"

Last night was spent in chaos. In her confused and infatuated state, Jing Hui was kissed by Lu Songyuan and said many shameful things.

She didn't want to remember.

"Um?"

Seeing that Jing Hui remained silent for a long time, Lu Songyuan swayed his waist, causing Jing Hui to become unsteady on her feet as well.

This posture is also quite shameful.

"I don't remember."

As Jing Hui spoke, she leaned over the bed and said, "I'm going to have breakfast before heading up the mountain."

Everything else can be forgotten, but there is one thing that Lu Songyuan absolutely forbids Jing Hui from forgetting.

He tightened his grip on Jing Hui's waist, stopping Jing Hui's movements, and said, "You really don't remember?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Jing Hui hugged Lu Songyuan back to him, slapping his hand angrily.

Lu Songyuan's face was gloomy as he looked at Jing Hui without saying a word.

Jing Hui and Lu Songyuan exchanged glances, suddenly recalling the words this person had whispered in their ears before that incident, as if bewitching them.

He loves her and wants her.

Jing Hui immediately realized that, as the saying goes in the popular folk tales, the one who falls in love first is the one whose little tricks the other has caught.

It hurts so much when you pull on a braid at the back of your head.

She's the one who caught Lu Songyuan red-handed!

Suddenly realizing something, Jing Hui's eyes darted around, and she leaned forward onto Lu Songyuan, looking down at him.

"It's as if I remember someone whispering in my ear at night, saying some strange and irrelevant things, like he was in love with me and wanted me to only look at him."

Jing Hui clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It's definitely not you. Someone as strong and powerful as you, who commands respect everywhere, how could you say such cheesy things?"

Lu Songyuan raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose I was living a life of drunken stupor yesterday, and I don't know which young master I dreamt of."

Jing Hui sighed again, "That young man is so handsome, he must be a young master from some family in the capital. When we return from Xiaoli Mountain, I, the princess, will also go to the theater and throw a flower ball to see who it is... Hmm!"

As Lu Songyuan listened, he realized that Jing Hui remembered everything and was just teasing him.

He was both angry and amused. He flipped over and pinned her down, then lowered his head and bit Jing Hui's lips, silencing her infuriating words.

Four lips pressed together, tongues trembling, it was already second nature to them.

They parted breathlessly, their noses touching.

Lu Songyuan feigned menacingness, pinched Jing Hui's palm, placed it beside her ear, and said, "I'll kill one of the ones you confess to."

"Why don't you give it a try?" Jing Hui said cheerfully, not at all frightened.

Lu Songyuan stared at her for a while, then finally gave up, resting his forehead on Jing Hui's shoulder and remaining still.

Having witnessed too much of the coldness and warmth of human relationships, Lu Songyuan used to think that such feelings of devoting one's heart to one person were absurd.

Why would a living, breathing person dedicate themselves entirely to others?

Now that I've actually encountered it, I realize how shallow my understanding was in the past.

Jing Hui had her heart firmly in his grasp, leaving her completely unprepared.

Lu Songyuan wished he could take it all out and watch the heart beat in her hand with his own eyes.

His emotions came on strong and intensely, without any resistance, and Lu Songyuan was afraid that Jing Hui would be frightened.

But he was so eager to know the answer that he had to ask again and again, very carefully.

“Ah Zhu”.

"do what?"

Jing Hui tried to push Lu Songyuan's head, but couldn't move it.

Lu Songyuan's hand moved downwards, pinching the soft flesh of Jing Hui's waist, and he remained silent.

Jing Hui laughed because she was tickled, and the bed curtains trembled with laughter. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Lu Songyuan's head and her legs around his waist.

"I said I would try to win your heart, and I won't go back on my word. Lu Songyuan, if you pinch me again, I'll take it back!"

Lu Songyuan finally stopped and looked up to meet Jing Hui's gaze.

Jing Hui laughed through her tears, and her face was full of smiles when they met eyes.

Lu Songyuan thought that all these emotions were given to her by him.

Gradually, Jing Hui calmed down. Since her marriage, she had had a competitive spirit with Lu Songyuan. Today, with Lu Songyuan bowing his head first, Jing Hui could be considered to have won a battle.

The fact that Lu Songyuan's body and mind were under her control made Jing Hui extremely happy.

"No going back on your word."

Lu Songyuan is still domineering.

Jing Hui raised an eyebrow; she was in a good mood and didn't want to argue with Lu Songyuan.

She smiled and nodded, replying, "This princess understands."

The dust settled for the time being, and for the first time, a touch of warmth arose between the two.

After gazing at each other for a moment, their lips met again.

This kiss wasn't as intense as any of their previous ones; they simply rubbed against each other, their tongues lightly touching, pushing and pulling, and Jing Hui finally took the initiative this time.

Jing Hui heard Lu Songyuan groan as his nimble tongue traced across his palate, and then something pressed against the side of Jing Hui's leg.

Is this ever going to end? They're so easily amused!

Just as Jing Hui was about to show mercy and help Lu Songyuan, there was a knock on the door.

The two stopped immediately. Lu Songyuan's eyes flashed with dissatisfaction, which then turned into anger as he coldly stared at the door.

Ah Yu and Ah Yan wanted to follow the rules and wouldn't disturb Jing Hui's sleep for no reason.

Judging from the heavy knocking, it must be Lu Qingyue.

"I must have something to ask you."

Jing Hui patted Lu Songyuan's face with amusement.

I don't know how this person grew up like this. After so many years in the yellow sand, his skin didn't become rough at all. After coming to the capital to recuperate for half a year, he has become even more youthful.

This is a great deal!

As Jing Hui was pondering this, he suddenly felt a jolt in his chest, and the person on top of him coldly uttered a single word.

"roll."

Lu Qingyue, standing outside the door, paused for a moment. He glanced at the two people below the steps and saw Lian Zhu furrow her brow and grit her teeth.

Lu Qingyue quickly turned around and said, "Reporting to the princess, reporting to the general, the lieutenant general and Lord Bai have arrived."

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Author's Note: I'll be posting again the day after tomorrow. Due to word count constraints, there's a high chance I won't be updating tomorrow. I'll probably update around 11 PM the night after tomorrow. [kissing emoji]