Chapter 94: Domineering White Moonlight 13: Broad shoulders, narrow waist, strong and lean...

When Xie Jingchuan pushed the door open, the hall was completely silent.

Layers of plain gauze curtains hung down like clouds and fog, blocking out the sounds from outside. The quilt on the bed rose and fell slightly, outlining the slender outline underneath.

He stopped behind the innermost layer of gauze curtain, raised his hand, and gently lifted a corner of the gauze with his slender fingers. The movement was so gentle that he himself did not even notice it.

I saw Ali sleeping soundly, with one of his bare hands resting softly on the pillow, his long black hair falling down beside his cheek like a waterfall, swaying slightly with his shallow breathing.

Xie Jingchuan just stood there quietly and watched for a long time.

The scent of agarwood lingered in the hall, and time became sticky and slow at this moment.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and the corners of his tightly pursed lips relaxed at some point, as if as long as he saw her, the heaviness brought to him by the government affairs and the position of the Eastern Palace would disappear.

Perhaps his gaze was too focused, and the sleeping person sensed it. His long eyelashes trembled a few times, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Xie Jingchuan?" Her voice was still a little hoarse.

He lowered his eyes and helped her up: "Did I wake you up?"

Ali shook his head: "I slept for a long time, why are you here at this time?"

Xie Jingchuan stood up and poured her a cup of tea to moisten her throat. "I heard Mo Wen say you moved to Yinyue Pavilion, so I came to see you. Does your foot still hurt?"

Ah Li took two sips from the cup. "The imperial physician gave me some medicine, and the pain is gone. But you didn't return to the Eastern Palace last night."

Hearing the concern in her words, Xie Jingchuan sat down again: "The fire in Qingluan Palace this time is a bit strange. I have ordered people to investigate in detail. Don't worry too much."

As he spoke, he looked around the bedroom and said, "It's really a bit shabby here. I've already sent word to the Inner Court Office, and they'll send someone to set it up after dinner. If there's anything you need, just let them know."

Xie Jingchuan seemed worried, and he reminded her again, "I will probably be very busy these days and won't be able to visit you often. If you feel bored, you can call in those storytellers or acrobats from outside the palace."

"Tell Mo Wen, he will arrange everything and make things go smoothly."

"Okay!" Ali nodded, looking very happy, but his hand hidden under the quilt subconsciously pressed the thing under his hand tightly.

Xie Jingchuan looked at her for a while, and seeing that she really had nothing to say, he let out a faint sigh and pulled the quilt up. "You should have a good rest. I'll come to see you again in a few days."

Ah Li subconsciously asked: "Why are you leaving again?"

She could see the tiredness he was trying to hide in his eyes, and she reached out to stroke his slightly furrowed brows: "You look very tired."

Xie Jingchuan raised his mouth into a helpless arc, raised his hand and rubbed his forehead: "The government affairs have been complicated these days, plus the things in the palace, it's been a bit too much to rest."

He strictly ordered the Imperial Hospital not to inform the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine about his injuries. He only briefly told them about the fire in Qingluan Palace, so the chores assigned to him today were no less than the ones he needed.

Ali frowned and tugged at his sleeve unreasonably: "Can't those things be postponed? You haven't slept for at least one night."

Xie Jingchuan chuckled and patted her head lovingly: "These are the things I, as the crown prince, should do. If I slack off and seek leisure, the burden on my father's shoulders will be heavier, and the lives of the people of Jin will be extremely difficult."

"How can I stop?"

His expression was serious and resolute, and Ali's heart softened inexplicably.

Perhaps in this world, she is the only one who has been with him since childhood and knows best how much Xie Jingchuan has contributed and how well he has done in the position of crown prince, which is envied by everyone.

Seeing that Ali was silent, Xie Jingchuan knew that she had heard it, and said softly: "I'll go first, I have to see the emperor later."

As if she still hadn't given up, she asked again, "When did the emperor order you to see him?"

"Half an hour later, but there are still some things that need to be dealt with before then." Xie Jingchuan explained patiently.

The air stagnated for a moment.

Ali moved slightly inward, leaving some space on the outside. His movements were very gentle and a little hesitant.

Reason told her that this was against etiquette, but when she saw the lingering dark shadow in his eyes, she couldn't say anything to regret it.

"Since we still have time, why not rest here for a while... before we go."

She lowered her eyelashes, her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, and her ears were slightly red under her long hair.

Xie Jingchuan stood still, his eyes fixed on the empty space she had vacated, then moved back to her blushing face, his eyes slightly dim.

He curled his lips, retracted his steps that had no intention of leaving, and walked towards the huge brocade screen with a picture of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix as Ali said.

The screen was wide enough to hide most of his figure. The dim light in the hall cast his shadow clearly on the screen, and his every move could be seen particularly clearly and pleasingly.

Ali sat on the bed hugging the quilt, his mind a little confused. He felt that this situation was no different from waiting to sleep with someone, but he didn't know who would sleep with whom.

The next moment, she heard a very slight sound. It was the white jade belt hook being unhooked, and the jade collided with the wooden frame with a crisp and short sound.

Then came the subtle sound of fabric rubbing against each other, slow and drawn-out, with a deliberately prolonged, anxious rhythm.

The shadow reflected on the screen raised his arm, and the black robe was slowly taken off and casually draped over the edge of the screen. The soft silk fabric showed off his tight waist and abdomen clearly.

Broad shoulders and narrow waist, strong and slim.

Ali suddenly turned his head and patted his hot face. His fingers unconsciously clenched the quilt on his body, pulling out deep wrinkles.

Xie Jingchuan finally came out from behind the screen.

She was wearing only a soft moon-white undershirt with the collar slightly open, revealing her well-defined collarbone and firm chest skin.

He walked barefoot on the carpet, walking towards Ali slowly, with a few strands of black hair scattered in front of his forehead. The majesty and oppression brought by the complicated court robes were gone, revealing a rare laziness and fatigue.

"Why do you keep your head down?" Xie Jingchuan walked towards the bed and met her panicked and evasive gaze calmly.

Ali was almost speechless and could only shake his head randomly and move forward.

He lifted a corner of the quilt and lay down.

Unlike last night when she stayed in the East Palace, at this moment, the aura belonging to Xie Jingchuan surrounded her even more violently, domineeringly occupying every inch of her breath.

There was still some distance between them. He adjusted his posture, as if to lie more comfortably, and his arm inevitably brushed against her shoulder.

The touch was brief and light, but it made Ali tremble all over and suddenly tense up.

Xie Jingchuan seemed unaware of anything. He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Go to sleep."

After he finished speaking, his breathing became long and steady, leaving Ali alone lying stiffly beside him, his heart beating like a drum, and all sleepiness had long since disappeared.

Her hands and feet were numb from lying there, and she could only move a little bit to relieve the pain, but she didn't want to wake up Xie Jingchuan who was sleeping soundly.

He opened his hazy eyes and saw that her face was flushed. He raised his hand and felt her forehead: "Why is it so hot? Are you sick?"

"I'm not sick!" Ali answered immediately, his eyes rolling around.

Xie Jingchuan stared at her for a long time with sleepy eyes. If she wasn't sick, could she have a fever?

But if I lift the quilt, I'm afraid I'll catch a cold.

By the way, Ali always said that his body was cool and very comfortable, and that if I got close to him I wouldn’t blush from the heat.

As if he felt that his logic was completely correct, Xie Jingchuan suddenly reached out and pulled Ali, who was almost against the wall, into his arms.

The crisp ambergris mixed with the faint scent of ink hit Ali violently and wrapped her tightly.

His skin was still cool, but there was always a hint of warm body breath that was unique to men, which came through the fabric and made Ali feel very confused.

She wanted to push him away, but he had already closed his eyes tiredly, and his other hand naturally rested on Ali's waist.

As he moved, the collar, which was not tied tightly to begin with, loosened a little, revealing some bandages with faint blood stains.

He was injured while saving her last night.

The faint smell of medicine that he had not noticed just now now filled his nose, making Ali's heart pause, and he could not stretch out his hand to push away his hand.

She could only comfort herself, thinking that one should not be so ungrateful. He had done so much for her, and it was just a matter of hugging her for a while. He would not eat her here, so there was no need to be so nervous.

Thinking of this, Ali relaxed unconsciously and fell asleep obediently in Xie Jingchuan's arms.

*

Three days later, Ali sneaked out of Yinyue Pavilion late at night, dragging his injured foot, avoiding the guards who were patrolling along the way, and slipped into the cold palace.

That day, Madam Tan told her that there was a giant bamboo demon with two hundred years of cultivation that was causing trouble in the palace. It liked to feed on the blood and essence of young women and had killed at least five people.

Hearing her say this, Ali remembered what Su Yue said a few days ago. Because Princess Rongqing's birthday was approaching, the Queen Mother could not celebrate her daughter's birthday, so she could only go to the small Buddhist temple to chant sutras and pray for the princess, hoping that she would be safe and happy.

Before she fell ill, the empress dowager spent almost half of her time every day in the Buddhist temple, which was surrounded by a bamboo forest, the territory of the giant bamboo monster.

Madam Tan nodded when she heard this. "That's right. The Queen Mother wasn't the target of the bamboo demon. She just stayed in the bamboo forest for too long and was infected with the demonic energy that is harmful to humans, which is why she fell ill."

And Ali, who often appears in Shou'an Palace, may become its next target.

Or perhaps, it had awakened its intelligence and sensed the hostility of Ali, who was also a demon, so it wanted to burn her to death before she left the palace to find Lady Tan.

Before leaving, Madam Tan made a hand gesture, handed Ali two magical instruments, and told her that the time to take action would be the night of the full moon.

Ali looked up at the sky and saw a full moon hanging high in the sky.

She took out the magic weapon in her arms and followed the method taught by Madam Tan, holding her breath and concentrating her mind, slowly tightening her fingertips.

This big bamboo monster has killed people, and even if it returns to the monster world, it will not escape death. Ali decided to subdue it and hand it over to Tan Niangzi, so as to prevent it from falling into the hands of monster catchers and having a worse end.

The first place in the palace where abnormalities appeared was the cold palace. According to the habits of the big bamboo monster, the cold palace was its lair.

The coiled dragon patterns on the surface of the magic weapon vibrated slightly under her palm. In an instant, without her having to recite any long spells, the magic weapon seemed to have its own spirit, suddenly waking up and locking onto the cold and evil aura in the darkness.

Few people came to patrol the cold palace. The criminals and palace maids living there were all asleep at this time. No one noticed that a ball of light appeared outside the palace, which was getting brighter and brighter, and completely engulfed a shadow.

Then, the light suddenly went out, and the surroundings fell into absolute darkness and silence for a moment.

After a few breaths, the glow of the remaining candle in the corner slowly filled the field of vision again, as if everything just now was just an illusion.

Ali slowly opened his eyes. The light on the surface of the magic weapon was rapidly fading away, turning back into a cold and silent dead object.

The corner of the cold palace was empty, not even a trace of ash was left.

The next day was a sunny day, and Ali took Mingshuang to the Imperial Garden.

The master and servant found a waterside pavilion to sit down. From here, they could see the gate of the imperial palace.

Ali leaned against the vermilion lacquered pillar, squinting his eyes comfortably as he basked in the sun.

Not long after, Ming Shuang woke her up: "Princess, Master Chen is here."

Upon hearing this, Ali opened his eyes and saw Chen Yizi, whom he had not seen for a long time, across the green lake.

He seemed to have lost some weight, but he was still wearing his dark red official robe and looked in good spirits.

Ali looked at him and nodded slightly.

Mingshuang understood and loosened her grip, causing Ali's handkerchief to be blown up by the wind. She quickly picked up her skirt and chased after him.

The imperial garden was full of lush flowers and plants, and Mingshuang's petite figure quickly disappeared behind the plants and trees.

After a while, Ming Shuang returned to the pavilion, breathless, picking up the handkerchief: "The wind is so strong, I have been chasing for a long time."

In an out-of-view place, Mingshuang whispered to Ali that the thing had been handed over to Chen Yizi.

Ali hummed, leaned over and scattered a handful of fish food.

That day, Mingshuang left the palace and asked Chen Yizi for help, saying that the princess wanted Madam Tan to make a special rouge for her, but it was inconvenient to let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince know.

Today, he was still needed to take the magic weapon containing the big bamboo monster out of the palace. What Mingshuang said to him, about bringing the rouge that the princess usually used to Madam Tan for comparison, was just an excuse.

Originally, he was just looking for him to try it out, but what he didn't expect was that Chen Yizi was bolder than Ali had imagined. He was not a person who had read pedantic books and only knew how to be loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and abide by old conventions.

But think about it, in the book he dared to compete with the future emperor for the heroine, so what he is doing now is just a small fight.

The koi in the Green Lake swam around Ali. She twisted her fingers and watched them eat with interest.

When Xie Jingchuan stepped into the waterside pavilion, Ah Li happened to turn around to get the fish food from the plate. Seeing him coming, he smiled and said, "How did you know I was here?"

He took the food tray from Mingshuang and sat down next to A-li: "Guess what."

Mingshuang bowed and tactfully withdrew.

Ali curled his lips: "Tsk, I'm too lazy to guess."

Xie Jingchuan was not surprised by her words. He took off the cloak from his shoulders and put it on Ali: "The wind is strong here. It will give you a headache if you are exposed to it for too long."

Ah Li glanced at his unhappy expression, stood up and clapped his hands: "Then let's go back."

This time, Xie Jingchuan was a little surprised.

As Ali walked, she looked back at him and almost bumped into a pillar. Xie Jingchuan quickly pulled her back and said, "Be careful."

Ali glanced at his feet and patted his chest with lingering fear.

Xie Jingchuan helped A Li out of the water pavilion and walked towards Yinyue Pavilion.

"I remember your birthday is coming soon." Ali suddenly said to him.

Xie Jingchuan nodded.

There have been frequent disasters in the palace recently, and his birthday is approaching. His father wants to hold a grand birthday celebration to dispel the bad luck in the palace.

He has been very busy recently, partly because of this, as he has been carefully preparing for his birthday gift.

Xie Jingchuan helped her across the stairs and asked casually, "What birthday gift do you want me to give you this year, Ali?"

Ali raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Well, you will know when the day comes."

Xie Jingchuan also smiled, with a glint in his eyes: "Then I'll wait and see."

A breeze blew by, Ali rubbed his eyes, and the smile on the corner of his lips faded.

This will definitely be an unforgettable birthday.