Xiao Jingzhao wanted to pull his hand back, but then Lin Xiangzhi's golden words of wisdom immediately popped into his mind: "Always go along with a woman, as long as she's happy."
Yes, we have to go along with her.
Xiao Jingzhao carefully and naturally sat on the edge of the bed.
The rose scent inside the tent masked the faint smell of wine.
The faint, lingering fragrance of a woman almost made one lose their mind.
Her soft, fragrant skin pressed against the back of his hand, delicate and smooth.
Amitabha Buddha, do not look at what is improper.
Xiao Jingzhao silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra in his heart.
One can't stay in one position for too long, so Xiao Jingzhao turned his head and saw that the person who was using his pillow was sleeping soundly.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly from time to time, and the beauty mark between her brows was quite striking.
Is she troubled?
The person listening to her confide in was not herself, but Nangong Zeyue.
Nangong Zeyue?
Something flashed through Xiao Jingzhao's mind, but before he could grasp it, he sensed movement inside the tent.
Looking up, I saw a foot peeking out from the corner of the brocade quilt.
Her toes were as round as pearls, and in the candlelight, they were pink and delicate, so exquisite that one felt an urge to hold them in one's hand.
Xiao Jingzhao: "..."
I originally came to keep the Moon Goddess company and chat, but who knew that tonight I would be put to the test.
Xiao Jingzhao reached out his other hand and pulled the brocade quilt to cover those alluring jade feet.
If it weren't for his extraordinary self-control, he would have already pulled the person into his arms.
Countless nights, the face before him appeared in his dreams.
To calm his restless heart, Xiao Jingzhao simply lay down on the edge of the bed, his hand pressing against her delicate face slightly numb, yet he couldn't bear to pull it away.
Out of sight, out of mind, Xiao Jingzhao simply closed his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, the hand that was pressing down was released, and the person next to them turned to the other side.
The candle burned out, and moonlight streamed in through the window paper, making the room not too dark.
Xiao Jingzhao withdrew his hand, the lingering fragrance still present on his skin.
A moment later, he got up and turned around, and saw that Jiang Shuyue had her whole arm on the brocade quilt.
He turned and walked towards the soft couch, picked up a small blanket from it, and went to the bedside.
Covering his exposed arm with a small blanket, gently tucking in the corner of the quilt, lowering the gauze curtain, Xiao Jingzhao lightly lifted the beaded curtain and left the room.
"My lord, why not sleep until dawn? It doesn't matter if you miss the morning court session for one day."
Xiao Jingzhao walked to the corridor, and Xiang Yang suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that kind of person." Xiao Jingzhao glared at Xiang Yang and leaped towards the wall.
...
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Jiang Shuyue had a good dream all night. In her dream, she saw her family from her past life and held their hands, saying many, many things to them.
Jiang Shuyue slowly opened her eyes. The room was warm, obviously someone had added charcoal.
Looking at her body again, she saw a small blanket on the soft couch.
She couldn't help but feel secretly relieved that she hadn't spent the night in the space last night. Otherwise, if Qiuju had come over in the middle of the night and found the bed empty, she would have been frantic.
Jiang Shuyue sat up, the tent filled with a faint, cool bamboo fragrance.
"It must be my imagination," Jiang Shuyue thought, getting up and walking into the washroom.
...
Inside the palace.
The ministers waited outside the palace for quite a while, but the emperor did not come.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Eunuch Ma came over with small, quick steps to deliver a message.
"His Majesty is unwell today, gentlemen, you may all leave."
As everyone gradually left, Prime Minister Lin pondered, "His Majesty has always been robust since childhood, so why is he unwell today?"
At this moment, in the warm pavilion of Cining Palace, two figures, one tall and one short, sat cross-legged facing each other.
Xiao Jingzhao recited the incantation of his internal energy cultivation technique year after year.
"Depend your Qi on your Dantian, can you feel it?"
"Daddy, there's something warm rolling around in my belly." Sui Sui said, poking her belly button with her little hand. "It's right here."
"Exhale, inhale, and let your breath move."
Sui Sui silently recited the incantation in his mind, and he imitated his father by making hand seals.
A moment later, the warm current within his body gradually flowed in accordance with his thoughts.
"Daddy, it seems to be listening to me."
Xiao Jingzhao was not surprised at all. When he first taught his son the internal energy cultivation method, he found that his son had an amazing memory and could remember it after reading it only once.
To his surprise, his son was able to quickly control the internal energy within his body.
"Alright, that's enough for today. From now on, practice it once every night before you go to bed and once every morning when you get up."
Sui Sui took a deep breath and exhaled again, then nodded obediently, "I'll write it down and practice it every day. Once I've mastered the basics, Father will teach me even more powerful techniques, right?"
Yes, that's right.
Xiao Jingzhao glanced out the window and saw Xiang Song wandering in the garden.
He summoned a palace maid to take Sui Sui out for breakfast.
Seeing Sui Sui leave, Xiang Song quickly walked over.
"Master, news has come back from Black Dragon Pool." Xiang Song said, taking out a stack of palm-sized papers from his pocket.
Every single sheet of paper was crumpled and had creases on it.
Xiao Jingzhao's lips curled up. "How many carrier pigeons would it take to send this back?"
"Not many, sixteen."
After Xiang Song finished speaking, he suddenly remembered someone and cupped his hands, saying, "Master, it seems we have forgotten someone."
Xiao Jingzhao looked up. "Who?"
"Young Master Nangong is Miss Jiang's next-door neighbor."
Xiang Song only remembered the name after seeing it on the letter.
Xiang Song reminded him, and Xiao Jingzhao suddenly realized.
He picked up the paper and shook it. "Let me take a look first. Even if I go directly to ask him, he might not know much."
Xiao Jingzhao skimmed through it, then picked up one page and read it repeatedly.
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