Chapter 38 "Would you mind using me?"
Gentle and persuasive, like a large net, and he was entangled at the bottom of the net by the spider silk. It was too warm, too fragrant and too comfortable. Ji Chengnin simply couldn't muster the strength to resist.
Cui Yao lowered her eyes.
The extremely dark eyelashes trembled slightly, condensing a deep blue light.
His fingers slid down and supported the back of Ji Chengnin's neck.
The skin, flesh, and bones fit together perfectly, the neck bones were prominent. Cui Yao felt the bones with his palm, and the intimate feeling was wonderful. Ji Chengnin's bone structure was also too beautiful. Just this contact gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Close your fingers and gently move your palm to press.
Ji Chengning trained continuously for months without a single day of fatigue. If he felt slightly uncomfortable, he would just endure it. If the pain became too severe, he would simply ask the physician to prescribe some blood-activating and stasis-removing pills. As a result, he inevitably developed hidden injuries to his neck and waist.
As Cui Yao moved, Ji Chengning felt as if his stiff neck was being gently massaged, like a soft drizzle washing over every dry spot. It was slightly cool, but more comfortable than any burning sensation.
Cui Yao quietly moved a corner of her sleeve aside.
Ji Chengnin closed his eyes slightly, his brows still furrowed. The tension from before had mostly subsided, and his expression was neither more distressed nor more relieved.
His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly beneath his collar.
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip, pressing his hand even more tightly against Ji Chengnin's neck, leaving no gaps.
This feeling of intimacy made Cui Yao's breathing slightly rapid.
The young marquis was born with a strikingly handsome appearance, his bold and sharp eyes revealing an exceptionally quiet and obedient beauty when closed, like a doll meticulously sculpted by a craftsman.
My cheeks started to feel hot again.
He was standing very close to Young Master Ji; if anything seemed amiss, it would surely be noticed.
But he couldn't suppress those fantasies.
Slightly bend your fingertips and brush them across the back of Ji Chengning's neck where his hair meets his skin.
It looks like stitching.
For a fleeting moment, Cui Yao truly wondered if the Ji Chengning before her was not a living person, but rather a statue enshrined in some temple, unexpectedly possessed by a wild fox demon god. Otherwise, how could he possess such beautiful bone structure, such... the ability to exert force with his fingers without realizing it, and such a likable temperament?
Cui Yao lowered his head.
Ji Chengnin's uneven breath landed on his cheek.
He should have felt disgusted.
Strangely, no.
Instead, I want to get closer, even closer.
Cui Yao opened her lips.
The mixture of heat and the scent of ambergris, which the young master was accustomed to, was put into his mouth.
His Adam's apple bobbed more and more violently.
I really want to just hide him away like this.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, unable to conceal the dark and morbid emotions within.
Properly displayed in a golden palace, living a life of luxury...
Cui Yao suddenly realized he was wrong—he had previously thought it was ridiculous that Ji Lin had spoiled Ji Chengning to the point of raising his nephew into a little fool, but now he felt that Ji Chengning deserved to be indulged in every way.
Cui Yao felt dizzy at the scene she had imagined. Her lips moved slightly, and she almost asked: "Your Highness, would you be willing to give me your body?"
“That’s not right,” Ji Chengnin suddenly said.
Cui Yao stopped abruptly, swallowing silently as he tried to speak. "What," his voice was strangely hoarse, "what's wrong?"
Ji Chengning grabbed Cui Yao's sleeve.
This time, his cousin's cuffs were embroidered with lotus branches, intertwined and inseparable, resembling vines rather than lotus branches. He picked up a lotus branch with his fingertip and, unsurprisingly, felt the "pond surface" tremble and ripple.
"I said, you're wrong."
Cui Yao's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Oh?"
As Ji Chengning touched the embroidery on Cui Yao's sleeve, he said, "My second uncle doesn't know how either."
Cui Yao: "Hmm?"
It took him half a second to realize what Ji Chengnin was talking about.
"Yes, Your Highness doesn't know either."
Cui Yao: "..."
Ji Chengnin rattled off a list of dishes, "A Luo can't, Mu Fang can't, and," he paused, "Zhong Du..."
When Cui Yao heard him rattle off more than a dozen names in one breath, the corners of her lips, which had been turned up, flattened out again.
Finally, the young marquis, his mouth dry, concluded, "Ah Yao, although you meant well, I still find what you said rather strange."
Cui Yao smiled slightly, "Is that so? Perhaps it's because my learning is insufficient and my words are not clear enough."
Ji Chengnin chuckled.
He was just tired, not stupid. How could he not realize that his cousin was playing tricks on him?
However, as mentioned before, Ji Chengning was quite interested in and fond of his cousin, and since it was just a harmless little trick, he leaned back and played with Cui Yao's sleeve.
“Ah Yao”.
Cui Yao lowered her head. "Hmm?"
Ji Chengning said softly, "Xu Sheng told me that the thing Qu Fengzhi was smuggling was called Spring Rain, which has the effect of making people lose all reason and become obedient. Do you think there is such a miraculous medicine in the world?"
Cui Yao said gently, "If Your Highness doubts what Xu Sheng said, you can find someone to test the medicine on to find out if it is true or false."
Ji Chengnin suddenly looked up.
The hazy, comfortable, dreamlike atmosphere that had just been there suddenly vanished.
Ji Chengning paused while holding Cui Yao's hand, and then—suddenly tightened it!
Cui Yao obediently approached.
The strands of hair intertwined, indistinguishable from one another.
Ji Chengnin looked up and smiled, "Then, according to my cousin, who should we test it on?"
Cui Yao grabbed Ji Chengnin's hand, held his fingers, and probed towards her heart.
Ji Chengning was startled and immediately tried to shake him off.
However, my cousin held on too tightly, making it impossible to resist.
Ji Chengnin's pale face instantly turned bright red, and the tiny veins on his ears were so congested with blood that they seemed about to burst. "What are you doing?!"
The hand hovered above his chest.
Cui Yao lowered her eyes, and Manli's long, slender eyelashes also gently pressed down with her movements.
He said, "Would you mind using me?"
Ji Chengnin paused in his struggle to break free.
Immediately, he ripped his own hand away.
"You...you..."
Ji Chengnin was half annoyed and half angry.
Cui Yao looked at him obediently.
Ji Chengnin sighed, covered his face tightly with his sleeve, and turned away without saying another word.
Seeing that he had angered the man, Cui Yao wanted to reach out and pull off Ji Chengning's sleeve to see his current expression, but he was afraid of angering the young marquis too much and causing him to truly break off all ties with him. So he moved away from Ji Chengning.
"Your Highness."
Ji Chengnin did not answer.
This time, it was my cousin's turn to pull Ji Chengning's hand.
However, it seemed that Cousin Cui thought pulling up the sleeves wouldn't be very effective, so she reached her hand towards Ji Chengning's waist.
Before he could even touch the young marquis's waist, he was grabbed and held down.
"What are you doing?" Ji Chengnin asked fiercely.
Outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.
Cui Yao thought.
He stopped joking and said seriously, "Since Spring Rain was once used as an aphrodisiac, why doesn't Your Highness inquire about it from people of all walks of life? Also..."
Ji Chengning pretended not to care, but in reality, he was all ears.
However, Cui Yao cut it off at that point.
Ji Chengnin waited for a while, his patience wearing thin, as if being bitten by ants. Finally, he turned around and said angrily, "Cui Yao, are you making fun of me?"
Her beautiful face, flushed with anger, became even more radiant, vibrant and full of life, a far cry from her listless, detached state just moments before.
"I dare not," Cui Yao said, bowing her head.
"Hmph, I see there's nothing you wouldn't dare to do."
Cui Yao smoothed out Ji Chengnin's disheveled sleeves with one hand and continued, "Also, we can try to find out information by subtly inquiring with trusted military commanders."
Ji Chengnin was startled.
He had considered this possibility, but it was all too sensational, and Ji Chengnin rejected it in the blink of an eye.
He slowly closed his eyes. "This is a serious matter. Let me think about it."
With a jumble of thoughts running through his mind, Ji Chengning suddenly realized that Cui Yao was able to quickly guess that this drug might be used in the military based on just a few words he had spoken, which showed his meticulousness.
His eyes peeked out from a small slit.
His gaze met Cui Yao's.
The gaze was so focused and so intense that Ji Chengning was caught off guard, and a layer of cold sweat immediately appeared on the back of his neck.
Cui Yao seemed to have anticipated that Ji Chengnin would open his eyes. His lips were pulled by an invisible thread, revealing a beautiful but lifeless smile. "Is the young master wondering why I know so much?"
Are you doubting me again?
Ji Chengnin looked at him questioningly, "No."
What do you suspect about Cui Yao?
Regardless of whether the Spring Rain actually exists or is just something Xu Sheng made up, according to Xu Sheng, this thing was all the rage more than ten years ago, but disappeared under the suppression of the imperial court. At that time, Cui Yao was only a few years old.
Such heavy thoughts.
Ji Chengning thought to himself.
On second thought, his cousin's parents had both passed away, and he was the sole breadwinner. Not only did he face external threats, but he also had a group of mercenary relatives waiting to rip him off. All this worrying was out of his control and not his own choice.
If we don't take precautions carefully and tactfully, are we supposed to wait until the wolves are watching us from below without us even realizing it?
Thinking about it this way, I felt even more pity for her.
He shook his head. "No."
Cui Yao stared intently at Ji Chengning.
The latter remained motionless, letting him watch.
He discovered that everything Ji Chengning said was from the bottom of his heart.
Ji Chengnin's eyes were too bright, and his gaze too intense, so much so that Cui Yao felt a strange sensation that was a mixture of ecstasy and pain.
“I was just thinking, Ah Yao is so beautiful, and yet so intelligent,” Ji Chengning said, his eyes crinkling, “she is truly blessed by heaven.”
Bang.
Cui Yao suddenly turned her face.
Ji Chengnin looked at his actions with a puzzled expression.
What's wrong?
There was nothing there.
Cui Yao was even more puzzled than Ji Chengning.
He had just clearly heard a deafening roar in his ears, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.
However, when he turned around, there was nothing there.
Seeing the young marquis staring blankly at him with his bright, clear eyes, Cui Yao smiled deeply, "Your Highness, you flatter me."
This was the first time someone had praised him for being blessed by heaven.
Strangely, Cui Yao didn't feel mocked.
He just stared at Ji Chengnin's face, thinking, "It's not me."
But he took Ji Chengning's sleeve and said softly, "When my parents were alive, the Cui family had been operating in the capital for many years. I am incompetent, and although things are not as good as before, we still have some businesses. If you trust me, Your Highness, I may send someone to find out some information."
Ji Chengnin stared blankly at him.
For the first time in his life, Cui Yao doubted what he had just said. He paused for half a second, then asked, "What?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his arm.
Ji Chengnin pounced on him like a puppy seeing its owner, howling and grabbing his arm tightly.
Cui Yao: "..."
My face, which had just cooled down, started to feel hot again.
So good.
He stared at Ji Chengnin's fluffy, swaying hair with a kind of infatuation, thinking to himself.
I really want to raise it.
Ji Chengning could easily act cute and roll around on the ground, and his eyes were very shallow. When he looked up again, his eyelashes were already brimming with tears, and he looked like he was about to cry.
His expression changed as quickly as turning the pages of a book, which surprised even Cui Yao, who knew his true nature.
“Cousin,” Ji Chengnin said, her voice choked with emotion, as she held his arm, “I can’t thank you enough, I can only express my gratitude in the future…”
"Offer yourself in return?"
"I will repay your kindness by repaying your kindness with kindness and generosity."
The two spoke at the same time.
After they finished speaking, the two stared at each other in silence.
Cui Yao laughed in exasperation, "Who would dare ask the Crown Prince to be their slave?"
But his gaze unconsciously drifted downwards.
He had seen Ji Chengnin's riding skills before. His legs were extremely powerful, and even when he was tucked into the horse's belly, he wouldn't be thrown off, and his waist rose and fell with the horse's back...
Cui Yao lowered her eyes.
His eyes were lowered, and he looked unwilling to speak anymore. Ji Chengning did not force him, and lay down again to rest.
Once back at the government office, he was back to his energetic self.
He summoned Lü Zhong and instructed him to inform the colleagues who had participated in the council meeting yesterday that it was a misunderstanding and should not be mentioned again in the future. He also mentioned that the young marquis would be treating everyone to wine during the month's holiday.
However, news of the Embroidered Uniform Guard coming to take people away had already spread like wildfire. Everyone felt that there must be something more to the story, rather than it being a mistake caused by the young marquis's poor command. Everyone kept quiet about it.
After that, everything in Qing Lüwei's household remained as usual.
In addition, the original physician suddenly resigned and retired to his hometown, and a younger, better-tempered doctor was hired instead.
Five days later, at the government office.
Ji Chengning was racking his brains to compose a memorial, hoping to test the Emperor's intentions, but his writing was too poor and his thoughts too shallow, which even Ji Chengning himself could see.
I was so annoyed I kept pulling my hair.
"grown ups."
Ji Chengnin hummed in agreement, signaling the other party to speak.
Lü Zhongdao said, "Sir, there is a young man outside looking for you. He says he has something important to tell you."
Ji Chengnin's hand holding the pen froze instantly.
Is it Pingzhi?
A drop of rich ink flowed down the tip of the pen.
"Plop," the paper was soaked.
Ji Chengnin picked up the unfinished memorial, crumpled it in his hand, and threw it into the empty brush washer.
"knew."
Lü Zhong withdrew.
Ji Chengnin pondered for a few moments, then threw down his pen and strode out.
Before leaving the government office, he took several deep breaths, cupped his face to adjust his expression, and then stepped out the door.
Looking around, Qu Pingzhi was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, it was Zhou Mufang.
After several months apart, Zhou Mufang had become a bit darker, and his height had increased by more than half a head. His face had gradually lost its youthful handsomeness, and instead showed a kind of resolute and decisive heroic spirit.
Ji Chengnin's emotions fluctuated. "Mu Fang."
He went down the steps to greet him.
Zhou Mufang affectionately hugged his arm and said, "Chengning, I have something to tell you."
Zhou Mufang's attitude was unexpected by Ji Chengning.
He was filled with doubt, but nodded and said, "Go on."
Zhou Mufang walked side by side with Ji Chengnin, then turned his head to speak to Ji Chengnin.
From an outsider's perspective, the two young men looked so intimate they were practically huddled together.
"Cheng Ning, I've heard that the Qing Lüwei's training ground is very large. I wonder if you could take me there to broaden my horizons?"
Ji Chengnin stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Okay."
Both were tall and strong young men, and they moved quickly, arriving at the training ground in no time.
Ji Chengning said, "I know why you have come."
"oh?"
Ji Chengning took off the ring from his hand and gently placed it to the side.
Seeing his actions, Zhou Mufang understood even more.
The pent-up anger and frustration were suddenly ignited.
He raised his lips in a smile, revealing a certain ruthlessness that came with his long military training.
"Alright, since the young marquis understands, let's choose a suitable weapon."
Ji Chengnin shook his head and stood sideways in front of the weapons rack. "I don't want any weapons."
Zhou Mufang's dark, ink-like eyes stared intently at Ji Chengnin, "I don't either..."
Before the words were even finished, the two of them attacked simultaneously!
"Bah! Taking advantage of someone's unpreparedness!" Zhou Mufang cursed. "You dare to be the head of a department!"
In the time it takes to say a word, the two have already exchanged several blows.
The force of the punch grazed past his ear, and Ji Chengnin roared, "What makes you think you're any better than me? Did you eat all the lessons in the military about honesty and integrity you learned?!"
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Author's note: There will be another update tonight.
During my period, my back ached so much I couldn't straighten up, and my hands and feet were freezing, so I took a nap. Sorry, honey, a red envelope is dropping for this chapter.
Love you.
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