Chapter 42
After saying this, Ashina's ears were still red. Her fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes paused for a moment, then she looked up at her again, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Then... can you kiss me again?"
Shen Aheng’s pupils shrank suddenly, his whole body froze, and his mind suddenly felt like a pot of boiling water.
While she was digesting his "shocking" words, her eyes fell uncontrollably on his lips.
Those were a pair of extremely beautiful lips, full in shape and light pink in color. At the moment, they were gently pursed, and there was still a hint of moisture in the center of the lips, which was more attractive than the peach blossoms blooming in spring.
She suddenly remembered the feeling of her kiss that day, soft and warm, like melted peach jelly, and even her breath was clean and smelled good.
Thinking of this, Shen Ah Heng's cheeks "boom" and burned, and he quickly forced himself to look away, shook his head vigorously, and threw away those uncontrollable thoughts, and said in a hurried and embarrassed tone: "You, you didn't nag and couldn't stop today, why should I kiss you?" As soon as the words came out, he felt something was wrong, and hurriedly explained seriously: "I mean, this kind of thing can't be done casually! It has to be... It has to be between people who like each other and are in love with each other!"
Ashina Yu's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and she leaned forward. Her voice was no longer shy, but instead filled with a desperate seriousness: "Then I like you."
Shen Aheng’s eyes were instantly filled with a beautiful face.
The tip of my nose was almost touching his, and my mind went blank with a buzzing sound.
She was like being attracted by a magnet, her gaze sliding from the corners of his red eyes, across his straight nose, and finally back to his slightly pursed lips.
Even my breathing became disordered...
The breath of the two people touching each other was mixed with the faint medicinal fragrance and fragrance of his body. His heart beat fast and heavy, making his chest ache.
Shen Ah Heng stared at the seriousness in his eyes, his heart skipped a beat, then quickly sank.
Perhaps he didn't understand what the word "like" really meant, but he just took the habit of being together day and night for granted.
Shen Ah Heng's fingers pressed on the embroidered brocade cushion curled up quietly, and with some difficulty turned his face away, avoiding his breath that was very close. He pretended to be calm and spoke, but his voice was a little tense: "You don't understand, 'like' is not something you say casually. When you experience more in the future, you will naturally understand."
Shen Ah Heng didn’t dare to look into his eyes, he just reached out and pushed his arm, and began to see him off: “It’s really late, you should go back and rest.”
Then, without waiting for Ashina Yu to say another word, he pushed him out the door, sent him out with a light push, and fastened the bolt with a "click", completely blocking out all his responses.
Shen Aheng was so sleepy tonight that his eyelids were almost glued together, but after Ashina Yu's "commotion" just now, that bit of sleepiness disappeared without a trace.
She tossed and turned on the soft bed, the quilt was crumpled into a ball, her eyes staring at the embroidery on the tent ceiling, and she couldn't fall asleep.
After being calm for twenty years, this was the first time I was "confessed" to by an ancient Hu man. You can imagine how thrilling it was.
As soon as I closed my eyes, Ashina Yu's words "Then I like you" kept spinning in my mind. Even the light in her eyes when she leaned close to me and the sticky ending tone were as clear as if they were in front of me.
Shen Ah Heng couldn't help but feel palpitations for a while. Thinking of his patience when teaching her etiquette and his gentleness when straightening her sleeves, her cheeks couldn't help but get hot.
But after a while, I suddenly came to my senses and felt that he might not understand the meaning of love at all, and just mistook the days of relying on each other as affection. I felt indescribable confusion in my heart again.
I tossed and turned in this dilemma for the entire night, until dawn outside the window, when I finally felt sleepy and closed my eyes.
Just as Shen Ah Heng was dozing off, there was a gentle knock on the door, which was annoying. Shen Ah Heng didn't open his eyes, and his tone was full of anger: "Who is it?"
"It's me, Ah Heng." Ashina Yu's soft voice came from outside the door, with a familiar tenderness: "It's time to get up. If you're late entering the palace, you won't be able to catch up."
Shen Aheng’s brain buzzed and he woke up instantly.
He took two deep breaths, trying to suppress his flustered heart, cleared his throat gently, and replied in a calm tone, "Got it. I'll pack it up and come out right away."
The knocking on the door stopped.
Shen Ah Heng rubbed his sleepy face randomly, sat up quickly, and went to wash up in his slippers.
The robe that Ashina Yu's subordinates sent yesterday was draped on the chair. It was a lake green shirt embroidered with delicate silver peach blossom patterns, and the hem of the skirt was decorated with a few soft tassels. The material was also the finest Shu brocade, and it felt as delicate as clouds to the touch. You could tell at a glance that it was of great value.
She shook out her clothes and put them on, then looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She thought they looked pretty good. Seeing that her collar was neatly arranged and everything was in order, she reached out to open the door.
As soon as the door was opened a crack, Ashina Yu was seen standing outside. The morning light fell on his shoulders, making his figure particularly clear.
Shen Ah Heng was startled and shrank back subconsciously. His eyes instantly drifted away, and his tone was a little unnatural: "You...why are you waiting for me here? Just wait for me outside the door."
Ashina Yu's hair was still stained with morning dew. Hearing this, she hummed softly, "It's all right. It's safer to wait for you here."
Shen Ah Heng didn't dare to say more, nor did he dare to look at him. He just nodded quickly, avoiding his gaze and hurriedly said: "Then let's go, don't miss the time."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked a little faster than usual.
She was walking in front and didn't notice that the person behind her didn't catch up immediately.
Ashina Yu stood there, his eyes fixed on her back. The lake green hem of her dress swayed slightly with her footsteps, and the ends of her hair were stained with the fine morning light, all of which were firmly captured in his eyes.
The carriage stopped outside the red gate of the imperial palace.
After they got off the car, the eunuchs who had been waiting outside the palace gate led them inside, through the palace road covered with green tiles, the courtyard lined with pine and cypress trees, and arrived outside the magnificent Taiji Hall.
Today the emperor is meeting with envoys from the Western Region Ulun Kingdom. Two teams of guards holding spears have already lined up outside the hall. The atmosphere is solemn but not oppressive.
After the announcement was made, a clear eunuch's voice came from the hall: "Call the envoys from the Western Region Wulun Kingdom into the hall——"
When they entered the hall, the ceremonial seats had already been set up. The musicians stood in the corners of the hall with their hands hanging down. On the table were grapes, walnuts and other specialties from the Western Regions, which were obviously specially prepared.
Shen Aheng stood behind Ashina Yu, mixed in with the crowd of envoys, and followed the etiquette to kneel and kowtow.
A few days ago, Shen Aheng followed Ashina Yu to learn the etiquette of kneeling and bowing, and yesterday he even took a crammed class all night, and finally he did not make a fool of himself in front of the emperor.
When he stood up, Shen Aheng secretly raised his eyes and saw a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe and a slightly fat figure sitting on the throne. His eyebrows and eyes were full of literary air and he looked very gentle. It was the current emperor.
"You all have come a long way and must have worked hard along the way."
Emperor Jianye smiled and raised his hand to avoid the formality.
Hearing this, Shen Aheng breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to follow the other envoys to the guest seats on the side of the hall, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by a slightly cold big hand.
Her heart skipped a beat and she turned around to see Ashina Yu standing behind her. The strength of his fingertips was neither light nor heavy, but it did not allow her to break free. With a light pull, he brought her to the main seat near the throne.
There were two adjacent seats.
Shen Ah Heng was so frightened that she didn't even dare to breathe. What was this guy doing? She was just a commoner. It was already great for her to be able to enter the palace. How could she sit in that kind of place? !
But in such a serious occasion, she didn't dare to utter a word. Like a little quail with its wings held, she was led over by him with her body stiff.
Emperor Jianye, seated on the throne, had already taken in the entire scene. His gaze flickered between the two clasped hands and the girl's reddened ears. A hint of a smile crossed his eyes, but he didn't point it out. He gestured to the eunuch beside him, "Let's start with the singing and dancing to welcome the envoy."
The eunuch responded and went downstairs to pass the message. After a while, the musicians in the corner of the hall played the lively music of Hujia and Pipa, and several dancers dressed in Hu costumes swirled in. The silver bells on their skirts made clear sounds as they spun, and their dance moves were graceful and agile without losing their dignity.
The whole hall was immersed in melodious music.
After the singing and dancing ended, the eunuchs removed the dancers and served them hot tea and snacks again.
Jianye put down his teacup and looked at Ashina Yu. His tone was gentle yet serious. "Regarding the border trade between the Central Plains and the countries in the Western Regions, I have a few ideas..."
As he spoke, he looked at the eunuch beside him, then turned to Ashina Yu, as if hinting at something: "How about we move to the side hall to discuss in detail?"
Shen Ah Heng felt relieved when she heard this. She was used to being free and easy by nature, and she hated such serious occasions the most. She was about to take her leave and take a look around the palace, but her wrist suddenly felt warm.
Ashina Yu reached out and held her hand, the warmth of his palm coming directly through their touching skin, with an irresistible force.
Then, he looked up at the emperor, his tone calm but firm: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but there is no need to bother. It is fine here. They will not be in the way."
Emperor Jianye's gaze fell on the girl who was desperately burying her head. He suddenly smiled, his eyes full of knowing ridicule: "Oh? It seems I haven't considered it carefully enough."
He was a very kind person and was not annoyed by this. Instead, he waved his hand and said gently, "Then let's talk about it here. Everyone, please sit down and listen. Don't be so reserved."
Soon, Emperor Jianye finished reading out the trade concessions, which included a 30% tariff reduction and an annual gift of hundreds of thousands of pieces of silk and porcelain. As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the envoys sitting below changed instantly, their eyes gleaming with greed. They quickly jumped up from their seats and kowtowed, their voices filled with joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! The Celestial Empire is so magnanimous. Our Western Regions will remain forever loyal to you and will never let you down!"
Seeing how eager they were, Shen Aheng felt a little uncomfortable all over. He always felt that Emperor Jianye was too gentle and kind. Every year, the Wulun Kingdom caused trouble on the border, robbing cattle, horses, supplies and laborers, and bullying the people on the border.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Ashina Yu beside her, and saw that his face was still cold, with no ripples in his eyebrows and eyes, as if the emperor's reward was supposed to be like this, and there was no sign of the envoys' ecstasy and greed at all.
Shen Aheng felt inexplicably depressed. After all, he was still a person from the Western Regions. Even if he treated himself gently and specially, he still had to consider the interests of the Western Regions.
Since she couldn't get a word in from the court, she simply turned her attention to the case in front of her.
The crystal pork elbow on the porcelain plate was shiny and tempting, the osmanthus cake was drizzled with transparent honey, and there were candied cherries that I had never tasted before...
There are so many things to see and so many to count.
As Ashina Yu said last night, the delicacies in the palace are far superior to those outside.
Shen Ah Heng's mouth was watering with greed. He couldn't wait to pick up a piece of pork elbow with his silver chopsticks. He felt that it was soft, tender and delicious. He instantly forgot his previous thoughts and just buried his head in eating.
In his ear, Ashina Yu occasionally responded to Emperor Jianye's words in a cold voice, but most of the time she just said "yes" faintly, but his peripheral vision was always paying attention to her actions of picking up food.
Seeing Shen Ah Heng staring at the crab meat dumplings in the distance but unable to reach them, he calmly pushed the food tray towards her. Seeing that she was eating in a hurry, he poured another bowl of bird's nest stewed with rock sugar and placed it in front of her, and lowered his voice: "Eat slowly, there are plenty of dishes on the food table."
He took care of her very naturally, as if teaching her etiquette and arranging her clothes for the past few days had become a habit. Even Emperor Jianye on the throne couldn't help but curl his lips in curiosity when he saw it.
Shen Ah Heng took a bite of the crab meat soup, and glanced at the edge of the table. He caught a glimpse of a glass cup filled with purple liquid, which was clear and translucent under the candlelight, like wine or something.
She suddenly remembered the poem she had read in school, "The grape wine is sweet and the cup is luminescent, the pipa music is urging me to drink." This is the authentic ancient Western wine.
It can be encountered but not obtained.
Shen Aheng looked at it, itching to drink, and couldn't help but touch the wall of the cup. After hesitating for a moment, he secretly glanced at Ashina Yu who was negotiating with Emperor Jianye, so he secretly picked it up, quickly lowered his head and took a sip.
As soon as the wine entered her mouth, her mouth was instantly filled with the fresh aroma of grapes. It did not have the punch of ordinary strong liquor, and she drank a few more sips without realizing it.
When Ashina Yu finished talking to Emperor Jianye and lowered her head, she realized that several of the glass cups in front of her were empty.
Shen Ah Heng forgot how he left the palace. When he regained consciousness, he only felt his body swaying gently with the carriage, and his head was still dizzy.
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang in her ears. She had not expected her alcohol tolerance to be so low, and the voice was filled with worry and self-blame: "Are you awake? How do you feel? Are you still dizzy?"
As soon as the voice fell, a slightly cool hand gently brushed across her cheek, tucking the loose hair hanging in front of her cheek behind her ear.
Shen Aheng opened his eyes in a daze, and the scene in front of him shook. Ashina Yu's face was blurred at first, and only the voice was clear and pleasant.
When he leaned over slightly, the concern in his eyes was unavoidable, and she slowly saw clearly that his hair was hanging down by his temples, and his eyes reflected the faint light coming in from outside the car curtain, and his appearance was softer than usual.
Shen Ahheng's heart suddenly beat uncontrollably, the alcohol was still fermenting in his brain, and he completely forgot the hesitation and reserve during the day. He stared into his eyes and couldn't help but sighed in accordance with his heart: "You are so beautiful."
After saying "You are so beautiful", Shen Aheng's fingers seemed to have their own ideas and gently touched his cheek. The touch was warmer than expected, with a delicate texture.
Like smooth white jade.
Ashina Yu was stunned for a moment.
The skin that was touched stiffened slightly, as if countless electric currents were running through the fingertips into the heart, and even the skin on the back of the neck seemed to be burning.
His throat rolled quietly, but his face showed no emotion. He just stared at her with his eyes lowered, but deep in his eyes he suppressed the surging desire and love. He tried hard to restrain himself and not reach out to hold her in his arms.
Ashina Yu's Adam's apple rolled slightly again, and his voice became hoarse: "Do you know what you are doing now?"
At this moment, Shen Ah Heng couldn't listen to these words. The alcohol burned her rationality clean. She just stared at his face, and her soft fingers slid down instinctively.
His smooth forehead, his drooping eyelashes, then his tall nose, and finally his lips. Her fingertips sank into that soft spot, and she couldn't help but press it, muttering softly, "It's so soft, just like jelly."
"Stop it." Ashina Yu took a deep breath, raised his hand uncontrollably and grabbed her wrist. His pale fingertips rubbed against her hot skin, but he didn't dare to use force for fear of hurting her.
He stared at her pair of beautiful eyes that were covered with alcohol without moving. He tilted his head slightly and kissed the back of her hand lightly. His breath mixed with the slightly bitter aroma of medicine filled her wrist: "Do you want a kiss?"
Shen Ahheng felt that the man in front of her at the moment was like a bewitching male demon. A few strands of hair on his forehead stuck to his fair neck. The corners of his eyes, which were staring at her, were slightly raised. His originally cold eyes seemed to be filled with starlight. His bright lips were gently pressed by her, and there was a moist blush on his lips, which made people feel itchy.
Shen Ah Heng raised her eyes and met his deep eyes. She felt her heartbeat was about to explode. Her gaze fell on his lips again. She swallowed unconsciously and couldn't help but nodded heavily.
A pleasant chuckle seemed to escape from Ashina's throat. She slowly leaned over, and her warm breath came closer and closer, but suddenly stopped just a few inches away from her lips. She seemed to have remembered something, hesitated, and seemed to want to step away.
Shen Ah Heng was unwilling to let the "delicious" thing in front of her slip away from under her nose. Taking advantage of the alcohol, she reached out and grabbed his collar and pulled him forward without thinking.
The other person's lips slammed against hers.
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