Chapter 9 Holding Tight

After having dinner delivered by the postman, Jiang Yinyue lay on her small bed studying the topographical map. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wei Qin carrying a bucket of water in. Without even guessing, she knew that the water in the bucket was drawn from the well and was icy cold.

She pretended to be nonchalant, but her eyes were still fixed on Wei Qin. She saw him in the corner unbuttoning his ramie shirt, revealing his strong upper body, and wiping his back with a cloth.

The lamplight cast smooth, taut lines on his thin skin, highlighting his refined elegance in contrast to his muscular physique.

But on his back, there was an old whip mark, running from his left shoulder to his right waist.

It's not hard to imagine how much force the person wielding the whip must have used.

"Wei Qin, I've never heard you mention your biological father."

The man who committed suicide due to enormous debt.

Wei Qin paused, then quickly wiped himself, stood up and straightened his clothes. "Old things and old people, not worth mentioning."

"He often hits you."

Jiang Yinyue spoke with certainty, putting down the map, shuffling her shoes as she walked up to Wei Qin, looking up at the man's slightly tense jaw, "Do you hate him?"

"Not worth mentioning."

"Not having a father is nothing to worry about, unless you hate him."

Wei Qin lowered his deep eyes, his tall figure casting a shadow that enveloped the woman's entire face. "Miss, there are people you don't want to talk about, aren't there?"

Jiang Yinyue choked, the concern in her eyes instantly turning into ice shards. Putting herself in his shoes, she realized that she had touched a nerve.

"Never mind, never mind."

She waved her hand and went back to her small bed, sullen and silent. It was her fault; they were just living together, and she shouldn't have pried into things and forced her to open up.

Not only the Ministry of Personnel, but also, to ensure there were no worries about the future, the father had already sent people to Jinyang and Yangzhou to carefully investigate Wei Qin's background before the official announcement of the marriage.

Wei Qin was born into a merchant family. His mother was the daughter of a vinegar merchant and was frail; she died when Wei Qin was young. His father had a fiery temper and would take his anger out on Wei Qin whenever his business failed; a beating was the least he could endure.

These old stories were discovered by the Jiang family steward from the neighbors in Wei's neighborhood. Those old neighbors still gritted their teeth when they mentioned Wei Qin's father.

The past is hard to trace, but the hurt is heavy. Wei Qin's sullen personality is closely related to the past hurt.

Jiang Song once said that if everyone were to be compared to a musician, Wei Qin's playing would not be appreciated by both the refined and the common; the strings under his fingers would be taut.

At the Qionglin Banquet, the Crown Prince, upon first meeting Wei Qin, uttered a thought-provoking remark—

"All of you combined don't look as profound as the second-place finisher."

The Crown Prince's words revealed the deep sorrow in Wei Qin's heart.

Whether it's praise or criticism, everyone has their own interpretation.

Jiang Yinyue pulled the covers up, leaving only her eyes exposed, and watched as Wei Qin silently brought out bedding to make a makeshift bed on the floor, close to her small bed, with his back to her.

I guess I wasn't angry with her.

Jiang Yinyue, who had reopened other people's wounds, could no longer feel at ease and was consumed by guilt.

In her dream, she suddenly heard the sound of a whip. She ran against the light, trying to stop the middle-aged man wielding the whip.

Don't hit him!

Wei Qin, does it hurt a lot?

Jiang Yinyue suddenly opened her eyes, still shaken. As her consciousness gradually returned, she turned to look at the bed on the floor.

It was empty.

Where are they?

The night was dark and all was quiet. The sound of whipping in her dream gradually became clearer. Jiang Yinyue followed the sound and went straight to the stable, where she saw Han Jian whipping the scrambled horse.

The stables were closest to the side courtyard where Jiang Yinyue was, but far from the courtyards of the Crown Prince, Cheng Gao, and others. That's probably why Han Jian dared to be so unscrupulous.

Jiang Yinyue rushed forward, accompanied only by the bright moon and her shadow. She blocked Han Jian's path, glanced at the horsemen who had hidden far away, and said coldly, "Is this never going to end?"

Han Jian gasped for breath, exhausted. "If a little brat doesn't obey, you have to beat him. Aren't watchdogs beaten into submission?"

"How much silver?"

"What?"

Jiang Yinyue crossed her arms, adopting a negotiating stance, "I want to buy this horse, how much silver is too much?"

"The Empress said it's priceless."

"That's what your mistress meant, I'm asking you."

The implied meaning is clear to any intelligent person. Yan Zhuyi wouldn't care about a horse that had been beaten to death; as long as Han Jian gave a false report, the matter could be dropped.

Tomorrow morning, the caravan will set off, and she will take the horses to detour and get away from the unpleasant people and things.

She couldn't figure out, nor did she want to speculate, the Crown Prince's purpose in not allowing her to bid farewell to Wei Qin today, but the Crown Prince had no reason to keep obstructing her.

The idea of ​​parting amicably was something the Crown Prince taught her.

Jiang Yinyue tossed out a bulging money bag, raised her chin, and said, "This is none of your business."

Han Jian tossed his money pouch, a profound look appearing on his perpetually expressionless face, before silently departing.

Jiang Yinyue stroked the scraggly horse. "From now on, your name will be Zhudian."

After calming the horses, Jiang Yinyue returned to the side courtyard and saw Wei Qin waiting under the moonlight. "Where have you been?"

I thought he had gone to the stables after hearing the noise.

Wei Qin picked up the cloak draped over his arm and put it on her. "His Highness summons you."

Are you disturbing me in the middle of the night?

Jiang Yinyue thought to herself, "Unless it's something extremely urgent, it just shows that the Crown Prince is still young and impetuous and doesn't know how to be considerate of others."

When Wei Qin reluctantly led him by the wrist to the main courtyard's guest hall, the hall was brightly lit, with generals such as Cheng Gao accompanying him, all looking worried.

Two quarters of an hour ago, the Jiangning Military Command sent a secret report that the Military Commander had been kidnapped and his whereabouts were unknown.

This disrupted Cheng Gao's plans to meet the Crown Prince.

Wei Xichen ordered his troops to set off for Jiangning overnight to personally oversee the situation and prevent any unrest within the army. However, there was one matter he needed to entrust to Wei Qin and Jiang Yinyue.

"Is Consort Liang traveling with us?" Jiang Yinyue was unaware of the contents of the secret report and was naturally unwilling to be assigned such a difficult task.

Wei Xichen didn't have time to explain further, nor could he tell everyone that the Commander had been kidnapped. "Zhu Yi is accompanying you on this trip to return to Yangzhou to visit relatives. It just so happens that she is traveling with you, so we can look after each other on the way."

His tone was calm yet serious, exuding an imposing aura that left Jiang Yinyue no room for refusal.

The incident happened suddenly and there was no time to lose. Wei Xichen abandoned his carriage and rode a horse. In the deep night, he looked back, not knowing whose eyes he was looking at.

The hand gripping the whip tightened again and again, leaving white marks on all ten fingers.

"leave."

With the crown prince as an example, soldiers and officials abandoned their carriages and rode horses, forming a grand procession that disappeared into the endlessly elongated moonlight.

Unaware of what was going on, Jiang Yinyue pulled Wei Qin back, ignoring Yan Zhuyi who had also come to see her off.

Yan Zhuyi's hopes of capturing the Crown Prince's attention were dashed.

The Crown Prince had a fondness for collecting Ge ware, but she didn't know whether she was the rarest Ge ware vase in the Eastern Palace, so rare that collectors couldn't bear to touch it, or the lowest quality among the gray-blue, pink-blue, and beige Ge ware, so low quality that it was like a chicken rib, only barely making it into the collection because of the name Ge ware.

The Crown Prince's emotions were too restrained, which was related to his status as the heir apparent. As a ruler, one should not show one's joy or anger on one's face, and one should be able to kill without leaving a trace. However, his hatred for Jiang Yinyue was too obvious, and his hatred was mixed with resentment.

This is Yan Zhuyi's new understanding of the Crown Prince during this trip.

The three years of silence were probably a way of suppressing hatred and resentment.

How can one let go of grievances?

Unwilling to let go of her lingering thoughts, Yan Zhuyi kept her gaze fixed on the distance for a long time. But when she heard footsteps behind her, she suddenly spoke up: "Next time you bribe Han Jian, remember to give me half the money."

Jiang Yinyue turned her head and saw Yan Zhuyi with her back to her, raising her hand with a bulging money bag hanging from it.

"Minister Jiang is most skilled at winning people's hearts. As the eldest daughter, she hasn't even learned the basics. It seems that a tiger father may not have a dog daughter."

Standing in the cold moonlight after leaving the Crown Prince, Yan Zhuyi spoke sharply and looked deep, completely unlike the understanding and gentle woman she usually was.

Not far away stood the three siblings, Han Jian and his sister, as well as several guards left behind by the Crown Prince, which perfectly complemented the aura she was exuding at that moment.

Jiang Yinyue, holding Wei Qin's arm, shrugged. "I only wanted a few dozen taels of silver to buy back Han Jian's kindness. I underestimated the evil in human nature. Those who aid and abet evil are equally incorrigible."

Yan Zhuyi stopped the maid who was about to step forward to argue, saying, "It's late at night, so don't disturb the couple's intimate moment."

Jiang Yinyue held onto Wei Qin's arm tightly, ignoring his intentional or unintentional mockery. But the next moment, Wei Qin pulled his hand away.

"......"

The howling north wind transformed into blades, and the thin frost into swords, cutting through iron silently, sharp and piercing to the bone. Jiang Yinyue, still holding her hand, lost her composure as she was slashed by the wind and frost.

Wei Qin withdrew his hand. He withdrew his hand in front of Yan Zhuyi, how could she save face?

Jiang Yinyue stiffened her neck, not daring to turn around, afraid of seeing Yan Zhuyi's gloating expression.

Just as she was feeling embarrassed and even a little annoyed, the man who had pulled his arm away suddenly hooked her legs and picked her up horizontally.

You shouldn't move around tonight.

Lying between a pair of strong arms, Jiang Yinyue looked up in surprise. From her angle, she could only see Wei Qin's chin, which was shadowed by Mingyue's blow.

The loss of face instantly surged back, and she turned to look at Yan Zhuyi, who was looking at her. She raised her eyebrows almost imperceptibly, with a hint of provocation.

It wasn't out of smugness, but rather because she had figured out Yan Zhuyi's resentment towards her.

Seeing Yan Zhuyi's expressionless face, Jiang Yinyue hugged Wei Qin's neck, tilted her head and leaned against his chest, and winked mischievously at Wei Qin who was looking down.

The bright moonlight reflected the shadows of the trees, casting a pattern on one side of Wei Qin's face, extending down to his neck, where the sharp, protruding ridge clearly twitched.

He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "Hold me tight."

Jiang Yinyue took the opportunity to wrap her arms tightly around his neck, her rosy fingertips clasping his shoulders and sinking into his ramie clothes.

The young lady was still caught up in the tension of their argument and didn't realize that their behavior was too intimate.

Back in the small house in the side courtyard, Jiang Yinyue pretended to jump down, but as she straightened up, Wei Qin grabbed her back.

"Don't move around."

Wei Qin supported Jiang Yinyue with only one hand, as if carrying a child on one arm. He walked back to the bedside, placed the "child" on the bedding, took off her shoes, and wanted to check her injuries again.

Jiang Yinyue pressed down on her trouser leg and laughed, "It's not a serious injury, it'll be fine in a few days."

"Is Miss treating me like a stranger?"

"No......"

Having witnessed Wei Qin's stubbornness along the way, Jiang Yinyue, who always compromises when she can't win, took the initiative to roll up her trouser legs to an inch above her knees, revealing her fair and tender legs.

The bruises on it were more noticeable, and they had the color of dried rose petals.

Wei Qin dried his hands, warmed his fingertips, and slightly lifted the woman's calf, placing it on his thigh. He then used the medicated oil to massage her knee.

Even though she was doing something serious, Jiang Yinyue felt her ears burning. She could clearly feel the stiffness of Wei Qin's leg muscles and the rough touch of his calloused fingertips brushing against her skin through the medicated oil.

A lamp cast a warm, glowing light. The woman, feeling embarrassed and tired, slowly closed her eyes, leaned her head against the wall, completely unaware of the time.

A clean, large hand lifted her head and guided her to lie down on the soft bedding.

"Hmm..."

The sleeping woman let out a lazy moan and unintentionally gently bit the man's fingertip, which he hadn't had time to pull back.

A damp warmth spread from the tip of his index finger, and Wei Qin's dark eyes flickered slightly. He should have withdrawn his movement, but for some reason, he slowed down.

The soft, supple, and smooth texture of the lips is indescribably wonderful.

Wei Qin curled his hand, gathering the remaining dampness into his palm. He gazed quietly at the sleeping woman, gently brushing aside her stray hairs.

A note from the author:

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