19. Kiss

◎Brother Jian Xi◎

Chapter 19

Jiang Qiuye remembered that it was just after the beginning of winter that year. She was six years old, holding a candy box in her hand, wearing a thin linen dress, and her hair was loose in a bun she had tied herself.

In the box was the dragon beard candy she had made herself.

That day, she sold a whole box of candy and returned home excitedly. However, she never imagined that on that day, she and her sister would be sold to human traffickers by their gambling-addicted father.

That winter, although it did not snow in Huaishan in the north, it was colder than other places. She looked at the chilblains on her hands, holding her sister's hand. Her father was in front of the wooden house, grinning and counting money.

She didn't know how much she was sold for, but judging from her father's expression, she knew it was enough for him to gamble for another three days.

Maybe it was because of the cold and fever, but she felt colder than ever in the freezing early winter wind, and suddenly wanted a hug.

A hug with physical contact.

But before she could do so, she and her sister were dragged out of the hut by human traffickers, and she never got the hug she wanted.

The training in Feiyan Pavilion was very hard. She had received drug resistance training and could keep herself conscious no matter how strong the drug was.

Jiang Qiuye understood that the aphrodisiac scent was not enough to make her lose consciousness.

But she suddenly felt hot all over and thought of that winter, the hug she had been looking forward to but never got.

In the corner of the main room, she was just slowly waiting for the people outside to leave, but then she faintly heard Ji Ci's voice, and she suddenly wanted to be real for once.

So she allowed her sanity to be eroded and threw herself towards the hug she had been waiting for.

Be it being hated or a blessing in disguise.

She just wanted to be real for once.

After just a moment, she regained some consciousness, and after thinking for a while, tears gradually flowed out.

For the first time, Ji Ci felt what it meant to be at a loss. He wondered why he didn't push her away immediately, but instead slowly lowered his head to watch the golden beans on this little face slide down.

Her hairpin fell to the ground, and her black, smooth hair was blown away, with a few strands landing on his wrist. Whether it was where the hair fell or where the body touched, there was something strange.

"You...you get up first. I've asked Tian to call the imperial physician. If that doesn't work, I'll call a palace maid in."

Ji Ci tried to hide it on his face, but he was so busy in his heart that he even called himself "I".

Jiang Qiuye cried, her voice weak and soft, saying, "Your Highness, please don't let anyone know. My reputation has been completely ruined because of the Zhang family tragedy. If anyone knew about this and saw me like this, how could I still live in this world with dignity?"

Ji Ci sighed, and after a few struggles between his conscience and his desires, he reached out, held Jiang Qiuye horizontally in his arms, stood up, walked to the bed, and gently put her down.

But Jiang Qiuye hooked her arms around his neck and refused to let go, feeling the temperature of the person under her skin getting higher and higher.

He lowered his head to take a closer look and saw that her eyes seemed to be getting more and more blurred, and she kept rubbing against him.

Ji Ci grabbed the hands on his neck and tried to pry them apart, but he didn't expect the other party to use all his strength and just refused to let go.

Ji Ci felt really uncomfortable standing with his back hunched, so he finally gave in and sat down, letting the girl snuggle in his arms freely.

"Brother Jian Xi...it's so hot."

Jiang Qiuye's cheeks flushed as she squirmed, forcing Ji Ci to hold her waist down with his hands. "Don't move anymore. The doctor will be here soon and everything will be fine."

Ji Ci turned his head and kept looking outside the main room, feeling a little anxious.

This person is becoming more and more slow in doing things.

But the person in his arms is becoming more and more dishonest.

When he turned his head back, he didn't expect to feel a warm and soft touch on his lips.

Jiang Qiuye seemed to have lost his mind and pressed his lips directly against hers, but he had no experience at all, so he just pressed his lips against hers and started to nibble blindly.

Ji Ci once again felt the feeling of helplessness that was even more difficult to describe than being at a loss.

I was even a little shocked. It turns out that the delicacies in this world include not only the medicinal food made by the young widow, but also the young widow's lips.

No wonder the ancients always linked food and sex.

Perhaps he should read the Tao Te Ching silently at this moment, but the content was blank in his mind.

He stared at the unconscious person with wide eyes, and his hand, which was originally on her waist, quickly moved away and placed on his knees, then moved to the couch, and finally quietly returned to her waist.

He was amazed at the deliciousness of this delicacy and began to try to open his mouth to suck it, but he had no experience and accidentally broke Jiang Qiuye's skin. A faint smell of blood floated into her mouth, causing her to scream in pain and step back.

After several heavy breaths, the person in his arms stopped moving, and the hands that were originally shackled on his neck gradually withdrew. Ji Ci took a deep breath and gently put her down, placing her head on the pillow.

He sat there motionless, staring stiffly at the girl who seemed to be sleeping.

After the beginning of winter, the weather became increasingly cold, but at this moment, the room was filled with a feeling of dryness and heat.

After the young widow closed her peach blossom eyes, she seemed to be left with only her pure, well-behaved and small oval face, which was full of tear marks, and her dimples disappeared without a trace when she was not smiling.

Her cheeks are rosy and childish.

The young widow was only seventeen.

Finally, his gaze shifted to her lips, which were swollen from being sucked.

As if possessed, Ji Ci raised his index finger and pressed it gently, with his finger touching her white teeth.

Too soft and tender.

Which one is sweeter, her or Dragon Beard Candy?

...Maybe it's her.

"Your Highness, the imperial physician has arrived." Tian Qu's anxious voice came from the door of the main room.

Ji Ci immediately withdrew his hand, stood up with an indifferent expression, and touched his nose.

He looked at the imperial physician and said, "She was just hit by an aphrodisiac incense and fell asleep for some reason."

The Imperial Physician looked at Jiang Qiuye lying on the ground, and then looked at Ji Ci who had an expressionless face beside him.

He stepped forward and felt her pulse, then said, "Your Highness, although this incense can make people unconscious, it is not serious and will resolve on its own within an hour. I can give the young lady acupuncture to put her into a deep sleep during this hour, and she will recover when she wakes up."

After hearing this, Ji Ci nodded and said only "please".

After sending the imperial physician away, Ji Ci didn't dare to stay in the main room any longer and walked out of the room.

A cold wind blew, blowing away the fragrance and heat surrounding me.

While pondering his incomprehensible emotions, he waited for Jiang Qiuye to wake up.

Suddenly, a sense of fear arose in his heart. If this young widow had not been smart, she would have fallen into Huo Heng's trap.

She will definitely cry and be sad.

After thinking about it for a while, he became more convinced that Huo Heng really deserved to die.

In less than an hour, Jiang Qiuye slowly woke up.

A soft voice came from the main room: "Prince."

Ji Ci immediately turned around, opened the door and walked in, his face slightly embarrassed. He wasn't sure if Jiang Qiuye remembered his unconscious actions just now.

At this moment, Jiang Qiuye actually didn't remember anything since Ji Ci carried her to the bed.

She was a little annoyed that her consciousness was broken so easily.

Perhaps it was because of the hug she had been waiting for for so long that she really let herself go and let her desire take over.

She raised her eyes to look at Ji Ci who was still indifferent, but could not see any changes in her. Perhaps she really just fell asleep.

Being able to ignore the pain on my lips and have such an idea was all thanks to my understanding of Ji Ci.

He appears cold on the outside but is gentle on the inside. His body is tormented by illness, but his heart is filled with righteousness and integrity.

She is the complete opposite of him.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for finding me today. Otherwise, I don't know how long I would have endured, and whether I would have been discovered by others."

"It's okay. Leave the palace now that you're all right. Your maid has already left the palace and should have returned to Guihong Hall."

"Jinhong? Why didn't she wait for me and leave first?" She scratched her head and used a golden hairpin to tie her scattered hair into a simple bun again.

"Anyway, thank you for today, Your Majesty."

Ji Ci nodded slightly, looked at Jiang Qiuye who stood up, coughed lightly, and said: "It's on my way today, I'll give you a ride."

Jiang Qiuye was flattered and agreed.

Somehow, Ji Ci was particularly gentle and easy to talk to today.

She stood up and slowed down a bit, then immediately followed Ji Ci.

As the sky gradually darkened, the two men walked one in front and the other behind.

She looked at the tall figure in front of her wearing a jade crown and smiled slightly. Although she didn't remember what happened, today was indeed a blessing in disguise, and it brought her closer to Ji Ci.

She ran forward in two or three steps and walked side by side with Ji Ci.

Ji Ci turned his head to look at the girl who was a head shorter than him. She gave him a simple and sweet smile, and two shallow dimples appeared again.

He turned back to look at the road ahead, and without even noticing it, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Qiuye was joking in his heart, so he spoke directly: "Your Majesty, why are you here today?"

Ji Ci's expression remained unchanged as he said, "I was summoned by His Majesty today. Before leaving the palace, the Queen and her group were making a lot of noise, so I was attracted to them."

Jiang Qiuye was a little shocked. It was not easy for Qi Wang Jici, who loved to omit things, to explain it so thoroughly.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Ji Ci said with a guilty conscience: "Why? You still don't believe me?"

"Of course I believe it. How can I not believe what the prince says? This is His Highness Prince Qi, who never lies!"

Ji Ci pursed his lips, his face showing joy, and said: "Really? Then are you a liar?"

Jiang Qiuye immediately shook his head and said, "Me too, I never lie. Jinhong told me a long time ago that if I were lying, it would be obvious right away."

Her face was not red, her heart was not beating, her smile was simple and innocent, pure and beautiful but with a hint of evil.

Jiang Qiuye continued to ask, "Did the prince guard me for an hour today?"

Ji Ci suddenly looked a little embarrassed and turned his head, not knowing how to answer. Finally, he said, "I just happened to be free and Tian Quben also had something important to report to me. An hour won't be long."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"What?"

"I said, thank you, Your Highness." Jiang Qiuye repeated with a smile.

"Who would always say thank you?" Ji Ci chuckled.

Suddenly he remembered the young widow in the main room suddenly calling him "Brother Jian Xi", which was incessant in his ears.

It made him miss it a little.

The wind suddenly became stronger, causing Jiang Qiuye to shiver and hug his arms.

Seeing this, Ji Ci took off his black cloak and handed it to Jiang Qiuye without saying a word.

Jiang Qiuye didn't hesitate to take the cloak and put it on. Suddenly, the warmth from the clothes warmed her cold body, just like that hug.

Her expression darkened. Unfortunately, Ji Ci was her enemy and the target of her mission.

She was only happy that the mission object had more trust in her.

Nothing else.

…

When Jiang Qiuye returned to Guihong Hall, he looked around but still couldn't find Jinhong.

"Strange, where did this person go?"

As he was thinking, a heat suddenly surged through his body again, but it was different from before. It was accompanied by a pain like hundreds of ants gnawing at his bones that swept through his body. His vision suddenly went dark and then clear again.

She staggered a few steps and held on to the chair to avoid falling. She closed her eyes and curled the corners of her mouth.

I see.

No wonder Jinhong disappeared without a trace since the afternoon, no wonder she, who had always been resistant to drugs, was actually affected by the aphrodisiac incense, and no wonder she had been in a state of low spirits recently.

It turns out that a month has passed and the poison has taken effect...