Chapter 89 Huang Cen
My tongue darted about, but couldn't utter a single word. The ground was cold, but my body was hot. It was a world of contrasts, like ice and fire. And then there was the damp, evil night wind, constantly stirring and agitating my crotch.
As the effects of the alcohol wore off, Qingqing began to whimper and regain some of her senses, her hands weakly bracing against his chest. The soft, rhythmic sound of water finally subsided.
A sudden gasp filled the courtyard. Their lips parted, leaving a trail of glistening saliva. Yan Dibai sucked on it without hesitation, then tried to lower his head again. The person lying obediently in his arms stopped responding, her slender white legs trying several times to close, her hands twisting his genitals haphazardly, trying to force him to remove them.
“I’m almost seventeen. Most people my age already have two children.” He bit her pale earlobe, his voice suddenly turning deep, “Yang Liuqing, I know you’re awake.”
Qingqing's eyelids trembled, and her slightly swollen lips parted slightly. She closed her eyes again, still swayed by the effects of the alcohol.
Yan Dibai exhaled heavily, his throbbing blood vessels unwillingly contracting. But he only managed to restrain himself for a fleeting moment before his raging desire continued to urge his body to pierce through the last veil of modesty.
"..." Yan Di gritted his teeth. He had lost count of how many times he had woken up in the night to prepare for this day.
He was not a gentleman, yet he feared her tears.
The boy's hands trembled with excitement, filled with resentment at this overwhelming desire and hatred for her repeated seductions.
She would always unconsciously glance at him or touch him with her body.
This... "witch".
Tears of shame welled up in his eyes. He had finally defeated her. He pulled off her already soaked underpants, revealing her half-kneeling, bent-over body.
The wind rustled the leaves, and after a brief moment of repentance, he opened his clothes wide, revealing his bare chest. Head bowed, he contentedly began to enjoy the delicious meal. In that swamp, he stood tall, worshipping, his veins throbbing, releasing a powerful, resonant energy.
In the corner, a stone gently fell into the lake. Without warning, a dog hole appeared at the base of the wall. Three heads stretched out, watching the shadowy figures moving repeatedly behind the bamboo grove. At first, they couldn't understand what was happening, until finally, a jaw-dropping shape was revealed.
The faces of all three were cracked.
Yan Dibai beamed with immense joy, then raised his head and sang as he picked up the pungent, fishy-smelling underpants and tucked them into his bosom. He then wrapped the person tightly in his outer robe and carried him into the side room.
Li Si could no longer hold on and collapsed onto Zhang San with a thud. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is eating, eating—?"
He was a big, rough man, but no matter what he did, he couldn't say the last few words.
Zhang San pressed his pants down hard and growled, "Stop talking! You didn't see anything!"
Wang Wu silently stacked the bricks at the cave entrance back up. "I've wrapped the evidence from the Cui family in a letter and placed it under the lake stone. I'll come back tomorrow, lest my men discover it."
These days, the three finally found evidence, but recently the guards have become even more stringent, making it much more dangerous to climb over the wall. So the three of them surveyed the area and discovered that Yan Dibai's choice of this courtyard was indeed significant. The lake water directly connects to the outer moat of the mansion, making it much safer to sneak in via the waterway than to climb over the wall.
But getting wet every day wasn't an option, so after some discussion, the three of them used all their tools to dig a muddy channel to the lakeside for two days and nights. Little did they expect that they would discover such a passionate scene as they dug through it.
Li Si, his face flushed, scratched his head and stammered as he changed the subject.
"Your Majesty is truly, truly vigilant. Guess what I encountered the day before yesterday when I was following the convoy? The old man who used to farm no longer farms; he's now focused on selling bamboo baskets."
"Changed careers? So what?"
"Hey, brothers, listen to me. I was wondering what His Majesty was doing when the Lu family was about to make a move. It turns out he was sending that old man! Even if we hadn't shown ourselves, that old man would have spread the news of the inn fire and the Yan-Jin bloodline throughout the entire Cangqian area. Tsk tsk, I was wondering why it was such a coincidence. It turns out that the lantern seller was the one who brought them here! His Majesty was warning us back then that if we didn't reveal our identities to help him,"
Li Si stopped talking at this point.
The already awkward atmosphere shifted dramatically after his abrupt interruption.
Zhang San was terrified. "If we don't show ourselves soon, His Majesty will definitely sell our heads to the Lu family and the Military Advisor's Office!"
Wang Wu pondered, "Fortunately, the third brother persuaded you, and we also honestly confessed ninety percent of what happened. Otherwise, even if we showed our faces, we wouldn't have gotten away with it."
Li Si exclaimed in admiration, "Even an old farmer like him can be used by His Majesty to create so many wonderful things. Isn't this the talent of a born emperor? If Father were here, he would be overjoyed."
Thinking of their adoptive father, all three of them felt a lump in their throats. Li Si took out a wine flask, looked up at the moon, and said, "It just so happens to be Mid-Autumn Festival again. Let's offer a cup to my father!"
After a few gulps of strong liquor, Li Si finally let out a silly grin. Wang Wu nudged him, "What?"
Li Si scratched his face, "Everyone says His Majesty is skilled in romance despite his young age, and I've witnessed it firsthand today. I wonder when I'll be able to find a wife so I can learn from His Majesty..."
Zhang San spat at him: "You're already thinking about this before you've even accomplished anything? Comfort yourself with your own hands, go to bed early and go report for duty!"
Feeling wronged, Li Si did as instructed and hid in the woods to untie his trousers.
...
My groin feels weird... "Hiss," and my breasts feel weird too, so itchy. My period isn't due yet, is it?
"Hmm..." Qingqing was awakened by the knocking on the door. With a confused mind, she staggered to her feet. A maidservant stood at the door holding medicine, saying it was a gift from Cui Shenxiu.
Qingqing was still dizzy and couldn't think too much, so she said thank you.
Leaning back on the tatami mat, I lifted the lid and found it filled with bottles and jars of things like "Beauty Pills," "Jade Fragrance Pills," and "Honey Dew Cream."
It seems to be designed for women only.
There were a few bottles left with a familiar color. Upon closer inspection of the labels, I realized they were the calming incense pills that Cui An had given me.
Miss Cui is indeed very thorough in her work. Qingqing rubbed her head, and it took her a while to recover. Only after splashing cold water on her face did her headache subside.
At this moment, the events of last night finally surfaced in my mind in a hazy state.
She cried, and then ate a lot of fermented rice wine? Yan Dibai seemed to appear, speaking to her in a harsh tone... and then, fearing she would catch a cold, dragged her into a side room.
"That must be it." Qingqing stared blankly at herself in the mirror, noticing the faint blue circles under her eyes, a sign of a hangover.
The clothes were the same ones I changed into yesterday, in civilian clothes. However, my eyes were slightly swollen, and my lips were quite swollen.
That's not surprising at all; it looks like an alcohol sting.
She rubbed her hair, reassuring herself that the frightening adult scenes were just a wet dream.
Feeling hungry, Qingqing decided to cook. But as soon as she stood up, she froze, staring at her round-toed silk shoes.
The design, resembling a lotus flower with its alternating shades of blue and red, features a scrolling woven pattern and is edged with a ring of pearls the size of half a fingernail. It's the most fashionable pattern. It feels silky smooth to the touch, is made of expensive brocade, and the size… is just right.
It looks like it would cost at least three or four taels of silver.
Qingqing squatted on the ground and observed for almost a quarter of an hour. Servants were not usually allowed to enter Yunshui Courtyard without permission. It was even less likely that it would be placed under her bed so that someone would accidentally slip it on.
The twenty-four chests in the courtyard remained motionless. Qingqing looked around, her heart skipped a beat, and she could only think of one possibility.
-
Today, Yan Dibai was officially designated as a member of the Jiangzuo Group. He paid his respects to Wang Du early in the morning and met with several of his capable subordinates.
He had occasionally heard of several civil and military officials when he went to the capital.
Yan Dibai smiled humbly and looked the man up and down.
Wang Du was naturally kind to his own people, and he specially saved some rice for Yan Dibai. Yan Dibai helped pour wine and pass chopsticks, and the sensible Wang Du was quite moved.
None of his children had the discernment of this brat.
Especially the second queen, Shu.
Thinking of how she had followed Zhao Xu, a lowly military officer, since childhood, Wang Du felt very uncomfortable. If Wang Shu married into the Lu family, she would gain far more than she had now. She had repeatedly interfered, thinking that he, as her father, was unaware. In reality, Wang Du was simply tired of disciplining her.
Now that this young man has helped him kill Lu Shi and eat her, Wang Shu is no longer such a nuisance, and Wang Du can feel more like a loving father when he sees her.
Thinking this, she picked up a piece of roasted venison and put it into Yan Di's white bowl.
Yan Dibai was flattered and gratefully ate the meal. Wang Du laughed heartily, and the meal was finally over.
Just as they were about to say goodbye, Cui Xun sent Cui Shenxiu to deliver gifts.
The governor's mansion had always given Cui Shenxiu special treatment. By the time the steward reported, Cui Shenxiu and Wang Shu were already strolling hand in hand in the garden.
Wang Du's expression was not good: "Does this governor's mansion look like a forest that you can just walk into with a word?"
The steward hurriedly apologized. "Alright, alright," Wang Du waved his sleeve, then turned to Yan Dibai with a smile, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't disturb Your Majesty any longer."
The boy bowed respectfully and said, "Father, please take care of yourself."
Wang Du saw him off in a very good mood, but his face suddenly darkened again.
"Is Cui Xun urging me to hurry up? Or has he found out that I gave the iron cavalry to Zhao Xu, and is trying to subtly pressure me?"
The old steward clicked his tongue: "It's really strange that Young Master Xun didn't return to Xiangdong Garden in Cangqian, but instead stayed in Yangzhou with Seventeenth Lady."
The two families have been allies for many years and know each other inside and out. Wang Du knows at least 80 or 90 percent of Cui Xun as a person, if not 100%.
Despite his abundant talent, he was short-lived, fearful of the world and people, barely surviving. While there may have been reasons for this, it was also largely due to Cui Xun's cowardly nature.
"It's not like I didn't offer him a branch; he just didn't want to accept it. Why are you blaming me now?" Wang Du couldn't hide his mockery as he recalled the past.
The steward pondered, "Could it be... that the Seventeenth Lady's trip to Jianye to discuss marriage has displeased Young Master Xun?"
Wang Du glanced at him and said, "You mean, I didn't allow my nephews to marry his niece, which made him think I was deliberately suppressing him, and thus he held a grudge."
The steward remained silent, but Wang Du slammed down the scroll in his hand and snorted coldly:
“If she were his own daughter, I wouldn’t be so harsh. But this Cui Shiqi Niang is beyond the seventh degree of kinship with him. If she weren’t surnamed Cui, she wouldn’t even be on the family tree. She has no father or mother, so how is she any different from a commoner? Xi Chun Tang and Hui Chun Tang were not her creations alone. It was Cui Xun who asked Cui Shu for help to open this door. How can this money be considered hers? Furthermore, the Cui family is in decline. Even Cui Xun, the most outstanding member of the Cui family, has become a useless son. What benefits can the rest bring?”
"If Cui Xunru still wants to deliver it, then tell him to come to the door in person."
Cui has lost the master's favor. She's a child he's raised. The old steward nodded, feeling a pang of regret for the impeccably polite Seventeenth Sister.
Yan Dibai walked on the cobblestone path back to Yunshui Courtyard and saw in the distance a military officer in a two-piece armor rushing toward the gate.
He glanced at it only once, put his hands behind his back, and quickened his pace.
A night of passion easily dispelled her resentment. Yan Dibai's mind wandered whenever she thought about it. Even while eating with Wang Du, she would frequently drift off—what would her expression be if she saw those round-toed shoes?
Happy? Indifferent? Surely not angry.
It's good to be angry.
He should be awake by now, but I wonder if he'll look for me. What would we say if we met? Would we wipe the slate clean of our argument?
She had feelings for him, but she was too afraid to say it.
Her lips unconsciously curled upwards, and her pace quickened.
"His Majesty."
Suddenly, a woman in a moonlit, floor-length dress appeared from around the corner.
Yan Dibai paused, and Cui Shenxiu bowed, giving him a graceful smile.
"May I ask Your Majesty, do you still need Huang Cen?"
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