Chapter 69 Chapter 69 "You've already called me your husband, why are you hiding...
Just this once, just this once.
After Chu Yuanhe repeatedly warned himself, he held her in his arms again and held her quietly.
Later, no one knew who started it. Zhao Qingyi felt it was him, but also felt it was herself...
Anyway, they kissed again, and the two of them hugged each other and fell into the bed curtains together.
Out of consideration for her feelings, Chu Yuanhe was very restrained and did not overstep the line. He simply kissed her until she felt drowsy and sleepy. He said in a low, magnetic voice, "Go to sleep. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Zhao Qingyi curled up in his chest, listened to his gentle comfort, and gradually fell asleep.
Chu Yuanhe stayed with her until dawn. Two maids pushed the door open and came in to serve their master. The moment they lifted the bed curtains, the two maids almost screamed.
Zhao Qingyi woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and saw Chu Yuanhe lying beside her. He was dressed neatly, except for his shoes and socks, and one of his arms was resting behind her head.
And she herself...
Zhao Qingyi lowered her eyes. She was only wearing a small dress, and her skin exposed outside the quilt was covered with red spots. Even if she hadn't done anything last night, in this servant's opinion, she was indeed not innocent...
Tan Yue made a quick decision and pulled Qiao Yue over, "The servants should leave first."
Just as the two were about to take a step, Chu Yuanhe woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, his gaze was sharp, like a sword drawn from its sheath. This was his instinct, but it frightened the two maids so much that they fell to their knees, not daring to raise their heads.
Chu Yuanhe slowed down, realizing that he was in Zhao Qingyi's boudoir. His eyes softened again, and he put his arm around Zhao Qingyi's waist and sat up. "Alright, I'll help your master get up."
"I dare not." The maidservant was extremely terrified. Serving the master was their job, so how could they dare to let the prince do it for them? Finally, it was Zhao Qingyi who gave the order, and the two dared to leave.
"Why didn't you leave?" Zhao Qingyi fastened her shirt, blushing a little.
Chu Yuanhe raised his eyebrows and teased, "You cried last night and held me tightly, refusing to let go. How could I leave?" As he spoke, he took the clothes the maid had brought and put them on her.
Zhao Qingyi did cry for a long time last night, she couldn't even remember it, she only cared about her own face.
"I...didn't do anything out of the ordinary, did I?"
"What do you mean by something out of the ordinary?" Chu Yuanhe gave her a meaningful look. "You hugged me and cried, then after crying you started to make a fuss about being hugged and kissed by me. If I didn't kiss you, you got angry, and then you started crying again... Does that count?"
Zhao Qingyi covered her ears to tell him to shut up, put on her clothes and drove him away.
Chu Yuanhe resumed his playful self-smiling appearance. Fortunately, it was a day off and he did not have to attend court. When he returned to the palace, the secret guard came to report that the first two assassinations against Zhao Qingyi were done by the Wang family, and the latter one also involved the second branch of the Zhao family.
Chu Yuanhe had long guessed that this account would be settled with the Wang family sooner or later, so he summoned Chu Tianba, the Prince of Pingxi County.
When Chu Tianba heard that His Majesty was not only leaving the palace but also leaving Beijing, and would be gone for at least one or two months, he waved his hand and refused, thinking that being the emperor's substitute was too dangerous. In the end, Chu Yuanhe promised him many benefits, and he reluctantly agreed.
Chu Yuanhe also sent the Jinyiwei pacification envoy to make a trip. They were in the open, responsible for investigating the disappearance of Zhao Huaiyi, while he was secretly on a private visit, traveling south as the new magistrate of Qiantang County. As for Zhao Qingyi, he had thought it over and decided to pretend to be his newlywed wife.
Zhao Qingyi only told the truth to Meng. As for the old lady, she needed Meng's help to conceal the truth, so she said that she went to the temple to meditate and pray for her father, and left two maids behind to avoid making the old lady worry and suspicious.
She was also worried about Meng's health, and specifically gave some instructions to Aunt Huajin, who had been serving Meng for many years.
Before leaving, Meng gave her a warrant, which allowed her to mobilize the Meng family's various forces outside the capital. "When you get to Zhejiang, if you encounter any difficulties, go find your cousin."
-
Half a month later, Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang.
King Qi was about to move his fiefdom, and he hosted a grand banquet in the palace to entertain local officials. Cups and glasses clinked against each other as they discussed how to make a fortune before leaving. Most of them were Wang Yangzhi's accomplices, and one of them was a retainer whom he had been relying on particularly recently.
"When I achieve my great cause, Lord Li will have made an indelible contribution. You can choose any official position within the six ministries." This was his promise to the meritorious minister.
Ever since Li Che arrived, he offered brilliant plans one after another. Not only did he predict the movements of that old man Zhao Huaiyi, but he also opened up the salt and iron routes and the grain transport routes along the Zhejiang coast for him. In this way, even if he was transferred to a cold and bitter place, the most important lifeline of Daliang was still in his hands.
"It's a pity that I couldn't save Zhao Huaiyi's life." King Qi still remembered the incident at the Flower God Banquet. He failed to get Zhao Qingyi, and now he couldn't attack the little emperor. He could only ask for some interest from the Zhao family first.
Other officials echoed this, and Magistrate Du vowed, "Your Highness, rest assured. With me here, I will dig deep into the ground to find this man and kill him to prevent future troubles."
King Qi was very happy to hear this and raised his glass to invite everyone to drink together. Finally, a guard came forward to report that the new Qiantang County Magistrate sent by the court had arrived in Hangzhou.
King Qi sneered. What role could a mere county magistrate play? The previous county magistrate discovered his plan and died before he could even pass on a single word. This time, of course, would be no exception.
King Qi nonchalantly put down his wine glass and told someone to find an opportunity to kill him.
The others echoed the sentiment, but Li Che stopped them, saying, "Your Highness, this man cannot be killed."
"If you kill him, the court will send new officials to take the position. If you kill too many, it will inevitably attract the court's attention and might alert the enemy. It would be better to try to win him over. If you can make him your own, wouldn't it be even better? As long as you use him properly, he can be a pawn to deceive Shangjing and the court."
Prince Qi was drunk and thought about it for a moment. He felt that it made sense and patted Li Che on the shoulder to show his approval. "Master Li, do you have any other good ideas?"
Li Che said it succinctly, "Use benefits to lure them, using both soft and hard tactics."
It is best to bribe and win over the other party. If that doesn't work, use power to coerce them. If the other party refuses to comply, it is not too late to kill them.
Someone rushed to take up the job, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Leave this matter to me." The speaker was Mr. Jiang, one of the richest men in Qiantang.
King Qi was overjoyed and raised his glass to cheer. The whole hall was filled with people drinking and chatting, and everyone was drunk and dreaming...
On the other hand, Zhao Qingyi's side seemed much quieter. Chu Yuanhe was just a small county magistrate, and when he arrived at the post station, only a few soldiers came out to greet him.
The place where they settled was quite remote, a small village called Xinghua Village. The buildings in the post station were not big, and Zhao Qingyi felt that it was a bit crowded for two people to live in the same room. After all, she was a spoiled young lady from a wealthy family and had never suffered from the hardship of food, clothing and other expenses since she was a child.
Chu Yuanhe was much more casual. He made the bed and asked someone to get a large bucket of hot water so that Zhao Qingyi could take a bath and rest first.
Although the two of them had been intimate before and were now pretending to be husband and wife, there was nothing wrong with sleeping in the same bed, but Zhao Qingyi was still embarrassed and sent Chu Yuanhe outside to watch the door while she was taking a bath.
Thinking that he would be able to lie down in bed soon, Chu Yuanhe endured it.
When Zhao Qingyi finished washing and called him in, he closed the doors and windows and began to undress.
Zhao Qingyi's face turned pale. "What are you doing?"
"Take a bath." Chu Yuanhe said it as a matter of course, and didn't even bother to move behind the screen to avoid it. He just untied his belt and threw it on the clothes rack.
"This... the water hasn't been changed yet..." Zhao Qingyi was very nervous. The room was so small that she didn't know where to look, so she had to sit on the bed and turn her back.
"It's okay, I don't mind." Chu Yuanhe had taken off his outer robe, leaving only his close-fitting inner garment hanging loosely on his body. He walked towards the bathtub.
Zhao Qingyi had to change the water at least twice when she took a bath. Although the conditions were a bit difficult this time, this requirement remained unchanged. It was just that she was in a hurry to travel before and had no suitable place to stay, so she couldn't take a bath every day. Therefore, she refused to let him get close to her.
Chu Yuanhe couldn't hold back any longer and took off his shirt in no time.
Hearing the man's movement, Zhao Qingyi turned her head and took a peek. He happened to have his back to her and had taken off his shirt. The muscles on his shoulders were completely exposed to her sight. As he hung up his clothes, his bulging shoulder blades rose and fell, making him look extremely strong.
Zhao Qingyi couldn't help but look at it a few more times, and suddenly felt her lower abdomen sore and bloated. She realized something and quickly turned her face away.
Chu Yuanhe happened to turn his head to look over, and when he saw her panicked and evasive look, he almost laughed out loud.
He deliberately slowed down his movements, and when he was about to take the last piece, he deliberately called her, "Madam."
Zhao Qingyi turned back subconsciously, immediately covering her eyes in fear, her cheeks red as blood, "You...you have no shame!"
Chu Yuanhe had already gotten into the bathtub and couldn't help laughing.
Zhao Qingyi, still covering her eyes, corrected him, "Don't shout nonsense, I... I'm not your wife."
They didn't get married.
"You need to get used to it in advance." Chu Yuanhe leaned leisurely against the tub, scrubbing himself with a handkerchief, and said frivolously, "In other people's eyes, we are husband and wife. It's perfectly normal for me to call you Madam. You mustn't let it slip."
At last, he smiled and coaxed her, "Madam, why don't you call me husband too so I can hear it?"
Zhao Qingyi wondered if he had already planned how to take advantage of her when he asked for permission to go south.
As for those two words, it wasn't that she couldn't say them out loud. After all, when she and Li Che hadn't divorced yet, they often pretended to be nice. She thought for a while and reluctantly called out, "Husband, husband..."
The woman's voice was soft and gentle. The call of "husband" made Chu Yuanhe's mouth almost grin to his ears. He stopped scrubbing and raised an eyebrow in her direction, "Call me a few more times, I can't hear you clearly."
Zhao Qingyi was sure that he did it on purpose.
He must be punished and made to understand that he is the concubine and she is the master. He cannot be allowed to be so arrogant and unscrupulous.
Zhao Qingyi swallowed her breath, and her eyes suddenly turned from shyness and anger to coquettishness. She got off the bed and walked behind him, leaning over the edge of the bathtub, and her two smooth arms wrapped around the man's chest from behind.
"Husband..."
She was born with a good voice and was determined to cure him, so her voice became sweet and sticky. The two simple words that came out of her mouth seemed to have changed their tone and were particularly gentle and charming.
Chu Yuanhe's breathing became heavy, and he stopped laughing immediately.
Zhao Qingyi put her arm around his shoulders, her fingertips tracing down his bare chest and slowly climbing up to his chiseled face. "Husband, are you satisfied now?"
She rested her chin on his broad shoulder, and her white and tender fingertips gently stroked his face back and forth. The wide sleeves slid down, revealing a piece of white, fragrant and soft arm, which was pressed against him almost.
Chu Yuanhe's Adam's apple rolled, and he suddenly stretched out his hand from under the water and pulled her straight into the bucket, splashing water all over the ground in an instant.
Zhao Qingyi had come here to tease him, but she had accidentally gotten herself into trouble. As soon as she entered the water, she screamed, "My clothes..."
The two of them traveled light on this trip, and she only packed two sets of clothes.
Without having time to think, she sank into the water. In the chaos, she felt the man's arms, as hard as iron, tightly locking her waist and quickly lifting her out of the water.
"It's okay, it will dry overnight." Chu Yuanhe's voice was hoarse and he spoke very quickly. After he finished speaking, he kissed her lips impatiently.
The hot kiss, with the pain of a slight bite, rolled over her lips and then forcefully attacked her teeth.
Zhao Qingyi struggled at first, but he held her legs and made her sit sideways on him, unable to find a point to exert force.
Chu Yuanhe held her horizontally in the tub and kissed her deeply. In between breaths, he laughed at her, "You've already called me husband, why are you hiding?"
Zhao Qingyi blushed.
He held her shoulders and pushed her against the bathtub, supporting himself with his long legs from the bottom. With a splash of water, half of his tall and strong body broke out of the water and in turn suppressed her, forming an iron wall around her.
Zhao Qingyi fell into the water again, sinking deeper. The fragrant soup almost covered her heart. Her thin skirt was completely soaked and could not resist the buoyancy and floated in the water, easily outlining her slim and plump figure.
"lady……"
The man rubbed her temples and sighed.
He liked this name. Calling her by her nickname was indeed intimate, but this was the only name that belonged to her as a man. Only he could call her that.
"lady……"
He called out several times but got no response, so he held her soft little hand against his chest.
He also liked her hands. Her skin, as smooth as cream, could not hold onto the water droplets, which trickled down. He lowered his head and took her fingertips in his mouth, sucking gently before slowly moving upwards...
The slightly cool fragrant soup gradually warmed up due to the entanglement of the two of them.
Zhao Qingyi leaned back weakly, her neck resting on the edge of the bathtub, her eyes blurred by mist.
Chu Yuanhe came closer and soon kissed her eyes.
Zhao Qingyi's eyelashes trembled constantly, and she was once again bewildered and hugged his shoulders.
"Can you call me again?" Chu Yuanhe leaned over to her ear, his voice moist and hot.
Zhao Qingyi responded in a daze, "Husband..."
The next moment, he pushed aside the skirt floating in the water and hid inside.
Zhao Qingyi shrank back, but was trembling even more violently, and ultimately failed to escape completely.
Her breath was robbed by him again, and he kissed her lips deeply.
The water in the bathtub was turbulent and becoming increasingly out of control.
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