Chapter 32 Crystal Bone He bit her lips directly

Cheng Feng's incident occurred this morning during court.

"It was dark then. After leaving the palace the previous night, Young Master Chu went straight to Qiuxiang Tower and didn't emerge until court time. He happened to bump into Supervisor Cheng. Young Master Chu wasn't fully sober, and his horse was a wild steed from the Western Regions. Startled, he went berserk and trampled Supervisor Cheng, who had just fallen from his horse, leaving him covered in blood. I heard that Chao'an Street was covered in blood, and it took the street officials two hours to clean it up..."

Although Lilan disliked Cheng Feng, she still looked horrified when the matter was mentioned.

"After His Majesty learned of this, he sent an imperial messenger to investigate. However, Supervisor Cheng's injuries were too severe. He was already old and his tendons and veins were damaged. It is feared that he will be paralyzed in bed in the future and will only be able to travel by wheelchair."

For Cheng Feng, who was obsessed with women and indulging in sensual pleasures, being paralyzed on one side was worse than death.

Yesterday at the anniversary banquet, when Madam Cao accused her of stealing night-blooming cereus, Cheng Feng made sarcastic remarks, which Cui Yiluo still remembered. These past few days, she'd been too preoccupied to settle scores with Cheng Feng.

After yesterday's events, she intended to settle all previous scores, but before she could even make a move, Cheng Feng ran into Chu Ke—what a coincidence…

Cui Yiluo frowned: "Then the Chu family made no statement, and His Majesty did not punish Chu Ke?"

Such a big incident happened on a wide street. Although Cheng Feng was only a sixth-rank official, he was still an official appointed by the imperial court. No matter how powerful the Chu family was, the emperor could not openly show favoritism.

"His Majesty has exiled the eldest son of the Chu family to the Northwest..."

Cui Yiluo was shocked. The emperor used to dote on Consort Qiong so much, but this time he directly exiled her nephew Chu Ke.

Lilan continued, "But it seems that the fire that happened at Guanghua Temple that day was started by Young Master Chu. He sent someone to buy the kerosene, hoping to frame the Second Prince. Now Young Master Chu is going to be exiled to the Northwest, and the Fifth Prince has also been implicated and is being forced to reflect on his actions. The news has spread throughout Shengjing, and everyone is talking about it."

As expected, Jiang Yunjin had already prepared a backup plan. Chu Ke was an incompetent fool; how could he possibly come up with a series of plans to set fire and then frame the Second Prince? However, the Emperor favored the Fifth Prince, so he could only turn a blind eye and push Chu Ke out.

But why did Jiang Yunjin choose Chu Ke instead of other members of the Chu family? Even if Chu Ke stayed in the court, given his dissolute nature, without the protection of the Chu family, it would be only a matter of time before he dug his own grave.

And it's quite a coincidence that these two things happened together today. Could it be that Jiang Yunjin also orchestrated Cheng Feng's affair?

The idea had barely crossed her mind when Cui Yiluo rejected it.

Jiang Yunjin is a virtuous gentleman. While conflicts in the court are inevitable, he has no personal grudges against Cheng Feng. How could he possibly harm Cheng Feng? Moreover, Chu Ke is dissolute and unrestrained. No one can predict which brothel he will visit today or how he will set up a trap.

Cui Yiluo didn't take it too seriously. With Chu Ke and Cheng Feng in trouble, it saved her the trouble of taking action.

Meanwhile, in a simple house in the suburbs, the Second Prince Xiao Jing placed a piece and looked at the man in front of him with a calm expression, but he was obviously more serious than he had been in the past few days. After the fire at Guanghua Temple was over, his aura immediately became much lighter, and his expression even carried a faint sense of satisfaction.

Xiao Jing thought of how Jiang Yunjin had been working hard for him these past few days and couldn't help but feel tired. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty: "Shenzhi, you've worked hard these past few days."

Jiang Yunjin placed his black piece and said calmly, "Your Highness is too kind."

"But why push Chu Ke out?" Xiao Jing asked, puzzled.

After all, the kerosene could only be traced back to the Chu family, so it was entirely possible to deduce Chu Jing or Chu Xun, but why was Chu Ke chosen?

Jiang Yunjin looked at the black and white pieces crisscrossing on the chessboard and calmly explained, "I just feel that Your Majesty will not abandon Chu Jing or Chu Xun because of this matter. They can easily shift the blame to their subordinates, but there is no need for Your Majesty to go to the trouble of protecting Chu Ke. Moreover, if we go too far, Your Majesty will inevitably become wary."

He slowly put the few white characters into the chess box. "Now, His Majesty is suspicious of the Chu family again and will not care about Your Highness."

Xiao Jing nodded. He had thought that Jiang Yunjin's actions were partly due to Chu Ke's plot against his wife, and that Chu Ke had coincidentally caused Cheng Feng to be paralyzed by his horse's fright this morning. Now that Jiang Yunjin had explained, Xiao Jing felt that he had been too suspicious. Jiang Yunjin was always selfless, peaceful, and indifferent to women. Why would he go to such lengths for a woman and use such a heavy hand against her?

Looking at his pawn that had been swallowed up on the chessboard, Xiao Jing laughed and said, "Shenzhi is truly far-sighted."

Jiang Yunjin lowered his eyes and did not answer.

-

At dusk, the city gates closed.

Inside Jixuezhai, Cui Yiluo was ordering her servants to bring dinner to the dining hall when she suddenly saw a tall man walk in through the door.

He must have just returned from his shift, still wearing his crimson official robe, the jade belt outlining his slender waist, subtly revealing a sense of strength and power, the explosive force hidden within which Cui Yiluo had already experienced last night.

Looking at his neat crimson official robe, Cui Yilu couldn't help but think of last night. Officials would naturally have one or two sets of clothes to change into. Jiang Yunjin's clothes today were obviously freshly washed. The one from last night, which was all wrinkled, was definitely not something he could wear out. Given Jiang Yunjin's personality, that was even more impossible.

His serious and abstinent appearance in his official robes aroused Cui Yiluo's impulse to drag him into a life of desire.

She composed herself and smiled at Jiang Yunjin, "Why are you back so early today, my husband?"

As soon as the question left her lips, Cui Yiluo remembered that he had finally finished dealing with the matter at Guanghua Temple today, so shouldn't he return home sooner?

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Jiang Yunjin took out a set of keys from a hidden pocket in his sleeve.

Seeing the familiar key, Cui Yiluo was taken aback.

He said slowly, "I promised you yesterday that I would go to my grandmother to get it back. I should have given it to you this morning."

He omitted the rest of his words appropriately, but even without him saying them, Cui Yiluo understood the meaning.

She smiled gently: "Does my husband not know why I got up late today?"

If he hadn't deliberately held back last night, using such force that his abdominal muscles were taut and his legs were bent and pulled in all directions, how could she have slept soundly until 9 AM?

Jiang Yunjin's eyes darkened, and he pursed his lips.

Cui Yilu chuckled inwardly, but said nothing more on the surface, obediently taking the account key, "Thank you, husband."

The old lady was clearly unwilling to hand it over to her. It seems that even after she left, the Jiang family's accounts would still be managed by Ming Gu. That's why she handed over the eldest son's accounts to her first, so that she could take over smoothly in the future.

Isn't Jiang Yunjin's action going against the old lady? Would he really go to such lengths to keep his promise? Or does he actually trust her to some extent? Otherwise, how could he entrust the Jiang family to her management when he values ​​it so much?

Looking at the man before her, so handsome and refined, Cui Yiluo's heart skipped a beat.

"Did my husband get scolded by my grandmother today?"

Jiang Yunjin calmly lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze. "No."

"No?" Cui Yiluo was skeptical, but Jiang Yunjin's calm expression didn't seem like he was lying. Could it be that the old lady had broken her promise first, and therefore felt guilty and returned the key?

He added, "Let's have our meal first."

He wanted to eat, and Cui Yiluo didn't ask any further questions: "Okay."

Actually, it makes no difference whether you dine with him or not, since he adheres to the rule of not speaking while eating; it's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks.

But when Cui Yiluo lifted the bamboo curtain after her bath and saw the man sitting calmly on the couch, holding a book and reading it intently, she couldn't help but be taken aback.

Seeing him turn to look at the sound, she quickly smiled and covered it up: "Husband, aren't you going to the study tonight?"

"Hmm," the man said indifferently, without any intention of explaining to her, "I'm going to take a shower."

As the bathroom door opened and closed, Cui Yiluo looked at the books he had placed on the small table, neatly arranged, and clearly no longer intended to be read. She chuckled softly.

In no time, the man finished his bath and came out of the bathroom. Seeing that the bedroom was brightly lit, just as it had been before, he paused slightly before striding towards the bedroom.

As soon as I stepped into the room, a sweet fragrance rushed out from behind the bamboo curtain and crashed into my arms.

Cui Yiluo's long black hair cascaded down her back, the thin gauze flowing like moonlight over her snow-white skin, making her breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and even a slight lift of her gaze seemed to captivate one's soul.

"My husband, you've come home so early tonight, could it be for this?"

"Or is it," Cui Yiluo said, fiddling with his neatly tied sash, "that my husband is only concerned with having offspring?"

Last night she told him about Old Madam Jiang's urging for offspring, and he returned to his room early tonight. It's hard not to think that he did this only for the sake of having offspring.

After all, if they continued like before, they probably wouldn't be able to conceive for two or three years.

He valued the Jiang family above all else, so naturally he kept the matter of having offspring in mind.

Jiang Yunjin let her tug at his clothes, his eyes growing increasingly dark. Cui Yiluo pressed against him, keenly sensing that he was becoming aroused.

But Cui Yiluo wouldn't let him have his way so easily. She just looked at him with a smile, her slender fingers hooking the sash of his clothes, seemingly about to pull it but not quite.

Why isn't my husband saying anything?

Jiang Yunjin looked at her with a deep gaze.

His expectant attitude of waiting for her to take the initiative emboldened Cui Yiluo, who provocatively tilted her head back to kiss his lips, only to quickly pull away just as he opened his thin lips to entwine them.

Seeing the hint of surprise flash across Jiang Yunjin's face, and the darker glint in his eyes, Cui Yiluo's interest intensified.

Even though he had done everything, he still acted like a cold and aloof saint under the bed. Cui Yiluo hated seeing him like this the most.

Playful, she kissed his thin lips again, reaching out her tongue to hook his. Having learned from their previous encounter, Jiang Yunjin reacted much faster this time, as if afraid of being toyed with again. He pressed down with great force, either following her tongue or lingering on her lips.

The sound of water echoed in the quiet night. Cui Yiluo endured his increasingly deep kisses, her fingers intertwining with his large hand, and then she brought his hand to her soft waist.

The intense heat there seemed to want to break free of its restraints, and Cui Yiluo's smile deepened. Just as he was about to delve deeper, she reacted quickly and retreated again.

A wisp of fine, crystalline silver thread was pulled apart and snapped. Cui Yiluo looked at him, his eyes filled with a dark, burning desire. His face remained cold, but his thin lips were stained with glistening tears. She said innocently, "My husband is not speaking. I suppose I have guessed wrong. My husband has been busy with official business all day. It is only right that he wants to rest early. Then I will go and turn off the lamp so that my husband can rest in peace."

With a hint of disappointment, he loosened his belt and turned to turn around and extinguish the lamps in the room.

Suddenly, an arm came across her waist, blocking her from turning around and restraining her.

Her neck was grabbed and lifted up, and he went straight for her lips.

Author's note: You've gone too far, baby! [doge emoji]

[Heart] Thank you to all the lovely people who watered the nutrient solution!