Chapter 39: The burning emotion rises and falls, and finally returns to a bitter state...

Can't sleep anymore.

Yu Qing's face and voice occupied his entire mind. In the silent night, only his blood was boiling.

My chest feels like it's on fire and burning.

Xie Jing's cheeks flushed unnaturally. He struggled for a moment, finally gritting his teeth, closing his eyes, and wrapping himself in a thin blanket. He untied the belt of his pajamas with one hand.

“…”

His brows were furrowed in agony, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

The other hand gradually tightened its grip on the brocade, loosened it, tightened it again, and loosened it again.

After a long time, Xie Jing finally emerged from the water as if he had been drowning for a long time, raised his head and took a deep breath.

After years of pretending, he had always been frivolous and had little thought for it. He had done these things only a few times. This was the first time he realized how torturous it was.

The rustling sounds in the princess's room stopped. Xie Jing felt dizzy and his consciousness gradually faded.

*

It seemed as if light was filtering through the bed curtains, and Xie Jing blinked with difficulty.

Yu Qing's face was only a foot away from him.

“……!”

The person Cai Xiao had just thought of suddenly appeared before his eyes, and Xie Jing's heart stopped beating out of fear.

Yu Qing said: "Ah, are you awake?"

Qingjia seemed to have not yet come back to his senses from his sleep, staring at her blankly.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Yu Qing whispered. "I saw Your Highness was sound asleep, so I didn't ask you to have breakfast. I'm going to court now, so I came to check on you."

The princess's skin was rosy and fair. Yu Qing couldn't help but look up and touch the side of her face. He said, "Go back to sleep. I'm leaving."

The other person's hand caressed his face lovingly, then he stood up and left.

Xie Jing: “…”

The places where his hands touched were almost hotter than last night. Xie Jing sighed and shrank back into the quilt.

For several days, whenever Yu Qing got close to him, he felt a little stressed and his mouth was always dry.

Yu Qing was playing chess with the princess that night. He pondered for a moment before making his move. Then he picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and smacked his lips, saying, "What kind of tea is this? Why is it so bitter?"

The princess said, "...it's for clearing away heat and reducing internal heat. The heat is quite severe right now. If you're not used to it, ask them to make you something else."

Xie Jing drank bitter tea for several days and felt that he had finally returned to normal.

However, the capital city continued to rain, and there were thunderstorms at night. Yu Qing knocked on his wife's door.

"Your Highness?" Yu Qing said, "I'm here to accompany you. Are you okay? Are you afraid?"

Xie Jing: “…”

He silently let Yu Qing in and thought, forget it, I won’t be able to sleep well tonight.

Yu Qing noticed that Qingjia's eyes seemed to be filled with resentment. She felt that she was late, so she coaxed him softly, "It's okay. I'm here. You can sleep well."

Little did he know that it was because of her presence that Xie Jing couldn't sleep at all.

He listened to the person beside him breathing longer and longer, looked at her unconscious profile, his heart rising and falling, and finally returning to a sour tenderness.

How many more opportunities like this will there be in the future?

*

The summer heat is fading, the cicadas' chirping has faded, and the lotuses in the pond have passed their peak, though the koi fish are still swimming happily.

Princess Qingjia had never participated in the autumn hunt in previous years, but this time she went to the hunting ground with her husband.

All the military generals did not want to miss this once-a-year opportunity that attracted everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to get a good ranking and win the favor of the emperor.

Young Marquis Yu's riding and archery skills are superb, so naturally he has to participate in the competition.

However, as a "female member", Xie Jing mostly stayed near the camp with the other concubines and wives. At the beginning, she only watched from afar as the nimble figure galloped into the mountainous area. Others were unable to observe.

Xie Jing and others were in the tent, thinking that the outside world was in the midst of a fierce battle, but they heard a report from outside that Yu Qing had pushed open the tent and walked in.

Xie Jing: "Huh? Why are you back so early?"

Yu Qing smiled and said, "Look what I caught?"

She raised her other hand, and there were two lively rabbits.

"rabbit?"

Yu Qing held it in front of the princess and said, "It's alive. I brought it back specially."

Coming back just for two rabbits? Xie Jing didn't understand.

Yu Qing held down the hares to prevent them from kicking. Xie Jing carefully touched them twice and found that the rabbit fur was harder than he had imagined.

"Should we take it home and raise it?" Before she could even ask, Yu Qing said cheerfully, "Such a fat rabbit must be delicious. I'll roast it for you tonight."

Xie Jing: “…………”

He silently put his hand away.

Yu Qing was dressed in riding clothes, looking neat and handsome. She picked up the belt on her back, handed the unloaded bow and arrow and hare to the guard, then sat down and picked up the tea that had been dried.

Perhaps she was thirsty, so one cup was not enough, so Xie Jing poured another one. He watched her wipe the water from her lips, which were sparkling.

It was still far from evening when the camp would be closed, but Yu Qing did not plan to go hunting anymore.

Qing Jia said, "It seems you have caught a lot?"

Yu Qing said: "Well, I think the top three will be no problem."

Qing Jia smiled and said, "Then why don't you go? I thought you were sure you could win first place."

"We've won the first prize before, so let them take it this time," Yu Qing said. "Your Highness, do you want to go out for some fresh air? I found a good spot in the woods. Shall we go?"

This is the princess' first time back to the hunting ground, and Yu Qing wants to take Qingjia out for a walk.

If she takes it seriously, she could win the first place again, but the battle this time is very fierce, and many people are trying their best, especially General Duan Zhirui, who is said to have recently been in trouble with the crown prince.

In the morning, Yu Qing and he were in the same area, and that man always took the initiative to hunt and was extremely active.

Duan Zhirui set his sights on the vacant position in the Golden Feather Guard. If he succeeded in this hunt, it would be the basis for his promotion.

If he had not rushed to seek refuge with the prince, the prince might not have let Yu Qing go. Now that there is a replacement candidate, Yu Qing no longer has to be so cautious.

So Yu Qing had no intention of competing with him for a ranking, and even kindly drove the prey towards him, hoping that he would get what he wanted.

Instead of fighting in the heat of the moment, it’s better to stay with Qingjia for a few more hours.

Qing Jia asked, "Is it far?"

Yu Qing: "It's okay, we're in the woods, we can ride horses there."

Qing Jia said, "But I don't know how to ride a horse."

"It's okay," Yu Qing said, "I'll take you with me."

Qing Jia said: "Okay."

Seeing Qingjia's interest, Yu Qing was also happy. She suggested: "Why don't we bring the rabbits with us? We can each get one and roast them right away."

Xie Jing: “…”

He coughed and said, "I'm not hungry, but this is not easy to carry. Let's forget it."

Yu Qing thought so too. It was quite troublesome to peel the meat, skewer it and set up the grill. He would not eat it at the celebration banquet in the evening. If he had it as a snack now, he would not be able to eat it in the evening.

Yu Qing was not at ease with the other horses, so she gave her own horse to Qingjia and led the horse herself, walking in front.

The horse was extremely docile under its master's control, its pace neither too slow nor too fast, but very steady.

The two men left the tent and headed towards the woods.

"Is this saddle hard?" Yu Qing turned around and looked up at Qingjia on the horse from time to time.

In the hunting grounds, the concubines and other female relatives were not dressed as gorgeously as usual, with their hair covered in pearls and jade, and they generally wore light clothes.

The princess was wearing a tight-sleeved dress, with half of her long hair tied up behind her head and the other half draped over her head. The loose hair on both sides was also braided into several strands. Her usual gentle temperament was transformed into a heroic one. From bottom to top, one could just see the princess's clear, white jawline.

Qingjia is beautiful enough, and she looks different in different ways when she dresses. Yu Qing couldn't help but look back at her frequently.

"Be careful!" the princess warned.

Yu Qing was leading the horse in front and to the side, and was not walking in the middle of the path.

There were bushes and trees on both sides, and there was a branch sticking out in front of her, but she didn't notice it. When she turned around, she heard a "swish" sound and her sleeve was scratched.

"Your clothes are torn?" Qing Jia asked, "Look at the road, don't keep looking at me."

Yu Qing didn't take it seriously, but turned around and smiled to indicate that it was okay.

For a moment, the bright sunlight fell on the upturned faces below, and Xie Jing's heart skipped a beat. Yu Qing, unaware of the radiance of her smile, replied, "Yeah, I'm watching the road."

Xie Jing asked her to ride the horse following behind him, as he was already familiar with it and didn't need to hold the horse for him all the time. However, Yu Qing said she was not tired and it was just right for a walk on horseback.

When they were halfway there, they heard a noise in the woods. A man on horseback was chasing prey. There was a burst of dense hoofbeats coming from afar. Yu Qing stopped and stood still, putting his hand on the hilt of the sword to prevent the beast from being startled and charging at the princess.

However, an arrow had already broken through the wind and hit the wild fox. It screamed and fell to the ground after being shot by the arrow.

"...Prince Yu?"

The warrior who was chasing after him was wearing a black martial arts robe and had a handsome face. He was none other than the popular martial arts champion Duan Zhirui.

Yu Qing: "General Duan is good at archery."

"Your Excellency, you are too kind." Duan Zhirui asked curiously when he saw that Yu Qing was not carrying a bow and arrow, nor riding a horse. "What are you doing..."

"We've almost finished hunting," Yu Qing smiled. "I don't think we can beat General Duan this time. While we still have some free time, we might as well relax."

Duan Zhirui said, "...Thanks to the prince for letting me take the seat."

Yu Qing had a decent impression of him. Although he had voted for the prince, it was not wrong to pursue fame and fortune. He was very capable and a good person, but they just had different ideals and it was difficult to make close friends with him. He smiled when he heard this.

Duan Zhirui: "This is..."

Yu Qing said, "This is His Highness Qingjia."

Duan Zhirui leaned forward and bowed: "Your Highness, your ...

Xie Jing: "General, there's no need to be so polite."

Duan Zhirui: “…”

Duan Zhirui knew Xie Jing, but had never seen her in person. When he heard the princess' voice, he was deeply moved. He couldn't help but look up again. He saw the woman on the horse with a beautiful face and extraordinary demeanor. He was immediately dazed again.

Is it true or not? I can’t tell at all.

This is the legendary Seventh Prince...

Yu Qing was just affirming Duan Zhirui in her heart, but then she saw this man staring at Qing Jia in a daze.

She couldn't help but frowned: "?"

What does it mean to stare at other people's wives?

She interrupted, "General Duan?"

"Ah," Duan Zhirui said, "Uh, you two continue, I'm going to continue hunting."

He collected the prey and rode his horse past Yu Qing and his group.

Yu Qing looked back again with some concern, and saw Duan Zhirui walking away. He felt a little strange, but did not express it too much.

Qing Jia asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Yu Qing quickly turned his attention back to the princess.

At the same time, Duan Zhirui also glanced back secretly. Princess Qingjia, who was riding on a horse, was leaning forward slightly, while Yu Qing, who was walking on the side, raised her head. The two were talking and laughing, just like a loving couple.

"No wonder they want to rescue His Highness the Seventh Prince as soon as possible," he thought to himself. "To be together all day, to be treated as an equal, must be a huge sacrifice. But then again, this is too true. It's only natural that Yu Qing is deeply in love with Princess Qingjia..."