Chapter 16: "I thought you didn't want to go home with me."
The door to the boudoir opened, and the two of them walked out together.
Xiao Xu held Yun Sheng's hand with one hand and carried a small bamboo basket that seemed out of place with his demeanor in the other. The basket was filled with several bundles of silk thread.
Seeing this, Cuizhu, who was waiting not far away, was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening. She quickly bowed and stepped forward to take the bamboo basket.
It was past noon, and everyone was already waiting in the Qingyun Hall.
As soon as Yun Sheng entered the hall, she saw all the relatives sitting around the table and immediately realized that she and Xiao Xu were the last to arrive.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she curled her fingertips to pull her hand back from Xiao Xu's palm.
Men and women were seated separately in the hall. Yun Sheng didn't look at him again and turned to walk towards the women's section. The empty seat next to her mother was hers.
But it seemed to be a deliberate arrangement; as soon as she sat down, she looked up and saw Xiao Xu sitting directly opposite her.
When their eyes met, Yun Sheng felt as if she had been electrocuted, and her spine went numb as she quickly looked away.
It wasn't that she was being overly dramatic; she didn't know what was wrong with her. The moment she met Xiao Xu's gaze, her body seemed to lose control, and she would have unbearable reactions on its own.
The kiss at the desk keeps replaying in my mind; my lips seem to still feel the touch of him, and my tongue feels restless in my mouth.
Yun Sheng was annoyed at her own lack of composure; she hadn't even reached the point of doing the intimate things listed in the book. It was just a brief kiss, yet it had already disrupted her entire mind.
She gripped her chopsticks and took several deep breaths, finally managing to pull herself together.
Looking up again, she saw Xiao Xu calmly talking to her father.
Yun Hong asked something, and Xiao Xu nodded slightly, his thin lips moving as he answered. After that, he suddenly turned his head towards her.
Yun Sheng was stunned for a moment, then met his gaze openly.
She even slightly raised her eyebrows, as if asking him why he was looking over.
Xiao Xu smiled slightly, and only after Yun Sheng calmly looked away did he turn back to continue chatting with the elders.
After lunch, there's no chance for a midday rest; there are still many things to do.
The group moved to the main hall, where Xiao Xu and Yun Sheng's parents formally discussed the marriage.
Yun Sheng originally thought that such an unconventional process would be dull and awkward, but Xiao Xu spoke appropriately and was serious in his attitude, showing no negligence towards the marriage. He quickly settled the matter of the betrothal gifts with her parents.
Xiao Xu said solemnly, "Now that the marriage agreement has been renewed, the three old letters are hereby void. I have prepared new letters for you, my father-in-law and mother-in-law, to review."
After saying this, he raised his hand to signal, and the attendant standing beside him immediately brought over a wooden box.
Xiao Xu personally opened the package, took out three rolls of silk tied with gold thread, and presented them to Yun Hong with both hands.
"These are the new betrothal letter, gift certificate, and wedding invitation." His voice was steady and each word carried immense weight. "In the name of Xiao Xu, I swear to marry Yun Sheng, with heaven and earth as witnesses."
With the three documents in place, the marriage agreement was finalized.
Afterwards, the group moved to the courtyard and released the pair of live geese they had hunted. The geese, carrying everyone's hopes for the marriage, soared freely.
At this point, all the formalities have been successfully completed with the witness of close relatives.
As evening approached, Yun Sheng was supposed to return to Prince Zhao's residence with Xiao Xu.
As dusk fell, Yun Sheng reluctantly held Xu Peilan's hand, walking slowly with each step.
Just as they were about to reach the gates of the mansion, Yun Sheng suddenly stopped, pouting, and said, "Mother..."
Upon hearing her daughter's almost tearful cry, Xu Peilan could no longer contain her emotions and reached out to hug Yun Sheng tightly.
Yun Sheng's eyes finally welled up with tears in Xu Peilan's arms.
"My dear, take good care of yourself. Don't go hungry or get tired. Remember what I told you today. If anything happens, send someone home to let us know."
Yun Sheng nestled in Xu Peilan's arms and nodded.
Yun Hong, who had just stopped in front of the mansion, turned around and saw the mother and daughter looking like this. He gave Xiao Xu a slightly embarrassed smirk.
Xiao Xu calmly withdrew his gaze, showing little emotion.
Yun Hong said "Wait a moment" again, then strode back to the mother and daughter.
"Alright, the couple hasn't had dinner yet. If they delay any longer, it will be too late for them to get back."
Xu Peilan said, "Why don't you stay and have dinner before you leave? That way we can stay a little longer. I still have a lot to say to Nannan."
Yun Hong was both amused and exasperated: "You're going to make a fool of yourself in front of Chang Yu. They still have to pay their respects to the Prince and Princess when they get back, so don't cause any trouble."
Xu Peilan was also caught up in her emotions, but once she calmed down a bit, she realized that it was inappropriate.
She slowly released Yun Sheng, looking at her daughter's red eyes, the emotions she had just suppressed seemed to surge up again.
Xu Peilan patted Yun Sheng's hand: "Go on, little girl. Changyu is waiting for you. Come home when your brother returns."
"Okay, Father, Mother, I'm off now."
Yun Sheng dared not look too closely at her parents' concerned gazes, afraid that she would not be able to hold back her tears.
After saying this, he turned and walked quickly toward Xiao Xu.
After boarding the carriage, Yun Sheng looked down at her clasped hands, feeling dejected.
Before she returned home, she seemed incredibly strong, able to handle even a major event like a change in her marriage perfectly, without losing her composure.
But when she went home and saw her parents, she felt her heart suddenly become as fragile as a bubble that could burst at any moment. She was reluctant to leave and afraid to face them alone again.
Yun Sheng felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry.
Suddenly, a finger slipped into her field of vision and lightly touched under her eye.
Yun Sheng looked up in surprise.
Xiao Xu was staring straight at her.
He raised his long, slender fingers and said frankly, "Feel if you're still crying."
“What do you mean by ‘repay’? I didn’t shed a tear!” Yun Sheng retorted, frowning.
A thin layer of red still lingered at the corners of her eyes, and her pupils shimmered with moisture. In the dim light of the evening, the trembling light spots were particularly noticeable.
However, Xiao Xu's fingers did not touch anything wet.
He withdrew his hand and rubbed his fingertips, then just smiled and said nothing more.
As the carriage began to move, Yun Sheng, her mind blank, inadvertently met Xiao Xu's gaze and saw that his eyes were calm and undisturbed.
She calmed down as a result.
Today marks the end of the most important first three days of the wedding, after the bride returns to her parents' home.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, with no flaws to be found.
In fact, the marriage began with undeniable flaws.
Before this, Xiao Xu was a complete stranger to her. She was not originally going to marry him. The role of her fiancé's elder brother was only mentioned briefly in other people's words.
He was much older than her and had more experience than she did. He had been involved in officialdom for many years and was a deep and thoughtful man. He was forced to marry her because of his responsibilities and status.
For reasons like these, Yun Sheng instinctively used clumsy methods to protect herself.
If we set aside feelings, we should approach this marriage rationally so that we can handle any unforeseen circumstances with ease.
Just as I was thinking this, Xiao Xu suddenly reached out his hand again.
Yun Sheng's fingers, which were casually placed at her side, were hooked by him, and as the carriage swayed gently, her entire hand fell into his palm.
Yun Sheng turned her head in surprise, but couldn't quite make out Xiao Xu's expression in the dim light.
He said calmly, "Are you planning to just let your mind wander like this the whole way?"
Yun Sheng didn't know how he had seen through her thoughts, but she naturally denied it: "I wasn't overthinking anything."
“Really?” Xiao Xu said. “I thought you didn’t want to go home with me.”
Yun Sheng was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle.
She was really having wild thoughts, but she never considered not going home with him.
She said, "You're the one overthinking things."
The evening breeze lifted the swaying carriage curtain, letting in a ray of gentle moonlight.
Her smile, tinged with a gentle glow, was reflected in her eyes.
Xiao Xu stared intently at him: "What I'm thinking shouldn't be considered wild speculation."
Yun Sheng asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Instead of answering, Xiao Xu asked, "Sheng Sheng, do you want to kiss me?"
The carriage suddenly fell silent.
The subtle fragrance of incense seemed to bewitch the soul, intertwining inexplicable desires and emotions.
Yun Sheng felt Xiao Xu looking at her, and when she raised her eyes, she met his burning gaze.
There seems to be no reason to refuse what has already been done during the day.
The words that came to his lips were spoken very softly: "You can't stick your tongue out..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Xu's aura enveloped him in the darkness.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her neck with one hand, silencing the rest of her words.
His tongue plunged deep inside, entwining with hers, and his low, husky voice was muffled by the ambiguous sounds of water: "That wouldn't count as a kiss."
Yun Sheng tilted her head back, her eyelashes trembling violently. Her exposed neck was held by the man's large hands, and her mouth was filled with his gentle invasion.
He kissed her slowly and lightly, yet she still went limp all over again in an instant, much to her chagrin.
He held her close, controlling her, his fingertips lingering on the smooth skin of her neck.
Suddenly, the force on her neck tightened, bringing a suffocating feeling of being suppressed, then loosened a moment later, and she heard his hoarse voice pressed against her lips: "Nannan."
"Respond to me."
Yun Sheng's shoulders twitched, and her scalp tingled instantly.
She couldn't think of how to respond at all; her body reacted noticeably to his affectionate way of calling her.
A warm current surged down from my lower abdomen, bringing with it an indescribable ache and swelling sensation.
The final, spreading wetness made her whimper in shame.
Her voice was quickly silenced by Xiao Xu's intensified kiss, as he entwined his tongue with hers, teaching her how to respond to him.
She was so obedient when kissing him, tilting her head back and slightly furrowing her neck, looking like she couldn't take it, but she didn't struggle. She would even unconsciously move her lips to suck on him when she felt comfortable, and she would helplessly curl her fingers when she couldn't breathe.
The atmosphere inside the carriage, enveloped in the scent of incense, grew warmer as the lingering kiss continued for a long time.
Only when the carriage came to a slight stop did Xiao Xu finally pull away from her lips and step back.
Yun Sheng realized they had arrived at Prince Zhao's residence. It was completely dark outside. She was surprised that they had been kissing for so long, hiding in the darkness.
My tongue was still tingling, and my lips were wet and hot.
And there's the inexplicable soreness and bloating in my lower abdomen.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips, not daring to look at Xiao Xu at all, and could only lower her eyelashes and pretend to be calm, saying, "We've arrived, let's go down."
"Wait." Xiao Xu pressed down on her hand, not pulling it back from the position where it was wrapped around her palm.
"Take it easy for now, we'll go down later."
Yun Sheng's heart skipped a beat. She didn't think of Xiao Xu at all, because she did feel strange all over her body. She just thought he was telling her to calm down.
The already chaotic heartbeat became even more erratic.
Does she really look strange right now?
Yun Sheng sat quietly with her back slightly stiff, trying her best to calm herself down as quickly as possible.
After a moment of silence, Yun Sheng let out a soft breath: "Chang Yu, I'm feeling better, let's go downstairs."
After speaking, Xiao Xu did not answer her immediately.
After a long silence, Xiao Xu finally spoke: "Okay, let's go."
As Yun Sheng was led down from the carriage by Xiao Xu, she was still wondering why he had been inexplicably silent for a while.
Before she could think it through, a servant hurriedly came up to her as soon as she got off the carriage.
It was an unfamiliar face; Yun Sheng had never seen it before.
The newcomer bowed and said in a calm voice, "Greetings, Princess Consort. My name is Mushan. I have served Your Highness for many years and am your personal attendant."
Yun Sheng blinked, wondering why she hadn't seen him in the past few days.
Xiao Xu said, "I sent him out on business a few days ago, so you haven't seen him. You can ask him to do anything in the future."
"How did you guess what I was thinking before I even asked?"
Xiao Xu chuckled softly, but Yun Sheng didn't look up and didn't see it; the smile didn't reach his eyes at all.
Walking back to the east courtyard, Xiao Xu let Yun Sheng go inside first, while he led Mu Shan to the side hall.
After entering the room, Xiao Xu's expression turned completely cold.
Mu Shan reported: "Your Highness, we found the Third Young Master at the foot of Huanxi Mountain yesterday morning."
Xiao Xu frowned slightly: "Go on."
"The Third Young Master was very agitated and refused to return to the capital with us no matter what. After several unsuccessful attempts to persuade him, the Third Young Master became angry, injured our men, and ran away again."
"I have already sent men to chase after the Third Young Master in the direction he fled, but I still need to ask Your Highness for instructions on whether to use force to bring him back if we find him again."
Xiao Xu remained silent for a long time, his expression unreadable, his eyes filled with unfathomable darkness.
After a long silence, he said, "No need. Give the order that the Third Young Master must not be harmed."
“But Your Highness, the Third Young Master is already exceptionally skilled. If our subordinates cannot take action, even if we find him, he is very likely to escape again.”
Xiao Xu said, "Catch up with him first, but don't catch him. Just keep track of his whereabouts."
Mu Shan looked up in surprise upon hearing this, but he still couldn't understand why Xiao Xu had given this order from his face.
From these words, one could vaguely sense that His Highness the Crown Prince did not seem to want to capture the Third Prince immediately.
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Xiao Xu: It's exhilarating on one hand, and a dark crawl on the other.
Only a fool would want him back!
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