Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Will you accept me as your legal husband with the three letters and six formalities? ...
"Isn't it because Lianlian has been seducing me all night that I haven't been able to sleep?"
Xie Tingyu's light words once again ignited the fire in Ji Lian's heart.
"What do you mean I seduced you? Didn't you take the initiative to come to me tonight?"
Ji Lian was so angry that she reached out to grab her clothes, but unexpectedly she felt something warm and soft under her hand.
That is...that is...ah!
When she realized belatedly what she had caught, Ji Lian retracted her hand in fear, stammering, "I...I...I caught the wrong thing."
"You still say you're not trying to seduce me." Xie Tingyu turned over, facing Ji Lian, his hand naturally resting on his waist. "How could it be so easy to grab the wrong person? Lianlian, if you still want to touch me, I'm not against it."
The soft touch still lingers on my fingertips.
Ji Lian covered her face with her hands, resting her forehead on Xie Tingyu's shoulder, and said in a mosquito-like voice, "I'm not as reckless as you."
Xie Tingyu sighed softly, "Isn't lust natural? Why should you feel so ashamed?" Her fingertips slipped under his shirt, slowly rubbing circles at the back of his waist. "You see, I've always been open about my lust for Your Highness."
"You...you..." Ji Lian grabbed her rebellious hand, "You've been coveting my beauty for a long time. Do you think I can't see that you like men with good looks?"
"Oh, then Lianlian, do you still want to touch it?"
"don't want!"
Xie Tingyu tried to grab his hand with a smile, but Ji Lian quickly shrank back, and the two of them started to make a mess on the couch.
Finally, Xie Tingyu pressed his calves against his knees and wrapped his arms around his waist, forcibly locking him in his embrace. The blankets on both of them had long been kicked to the corner of the couch, where they were piled in a mess.
The two of them lay side by side facing each other, their breaths blending, their foreheads touching, their hair tangled together.
"If you keep going like this, it'll be dawn soon." Xie Tingyu fumbled for the quilt and covered them both with it. "Lianlian, go to sleep."
Ji Lian snorted twice, "If you hadn't come to bother me, why would I have stayed up so late?"
"If you hadn't kissed me secretly just now, why would I bother you again?"
Ji Lianyu choked, two blushes quietly flying up her cheeks in the dim light. She said angrily, "What's wrong with a few kisses? You've toyed with me so many times tonight, and I haven't even come to you to settle the score yet."
"Then let me touch it for you?" Xie Tingyu said, and grabbed Ji Lian's hand again.
Ji Lian had learned her lesson this time. She quickly put her hands behind her back and glared at her: "Xie Tingyu, are you going to sleep or not?"
"I want to sleep, but a certain beautiful princess keeps sighing in my ear. It's really hard for me to fall asleep when she's so sad." Xie Tingyu released her grip on his legs and slept with them, their breaths close together. "Lianlian, what's on your mind?"
"It's not really a big deal."
Ji Lian took a deep breath, and the hand under the quilt tightly grasped Xie Tingyu's fingers, "Xie Tingyu, if I were not the emperor's minister, would you... would you..."
Will you prepare the three letters and six ceremonies to welcome me as your legal husband?
But after these words turned around on his tongue for a few times, he finally swallowed them down.
After all, he still didn't dare to gamble, and was even more afraid of hearing the answer he didn't want to hear.
An inexplicable silence spread in the darkness, long enough that one could count the intertwined breaths.
"Lianlian." Xie Tingyu called Ji Lian softly, her fingertips stroking the light sweat on his palm, "What's wrong?"
In the darkness, the man didn't respond. For a moment, Xie Tingyu could only hear his rapid breathing and the sound of rain outside the window.
"What's wrong?" Xie Tingyu asked again in a gentle voice.
After a long while, Ji Lian finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse: "Nothing, just some nonsense." Her voice was quite lost, "It's late, go to sleep."
The words had been on the tip of his tongue several times, but he still didn't dare to ask.
She had never said that she liked him, so how could he dare to really say that?
Xie Tingyu was puzzled, but young men always had a lot on their minds, and she was afraid that she would not be able to find out the reason for a while. She stroked Ji Lian's cheek and asked gently, "Do you want to hold me while I sleep?"
"want."
Ji Lian put his arm around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck. When she married someone else, this embrace would no longer belong to him. Every moment he could steal was a moment.
The two of them slept in each other's arms all night long.
The moon has set and the stars have faded. The morning light shines through the carved window lattices, casting a few golden lines on the ground.
A line of palace attendants, carrying copper basins, cloth towels, and other toiletries, filed into the inner chamber of the Posuo Pavilion. The beaded curtain rustled softly, and only the rustling of fabric could be heard.
A few whispers drifted from behind the curtains. Ji Lian slowly awoke, only to see Xie Tingyu's peaceful face. He felt a warm touch against his waist. Her hand had slipped under his shirt and rested on his waist. He gently removed her hand, then pulled himself out from between their intertwined legs. Carefully, he stepped over the sleeping Xie Tingyu, drew aside the curtains, and climbed onto the bed.
After washing up, Ji Lian put on her outer robe and saw that the tray was covered with a plain cloth. "What is this?"
Jiangzhu came closer and whispered, "Your Highness, these are Master Xie's clothes. They got caught in the rain last night, so I brought some silver charcoal this morning to dry them."
Ji Lian understood, lifted a corner of the plain cloth, and then lifted up the layers of folded clothes, and suddenly saw a peony embroidery pattern on the bottom layer.
Without thinking, he pulled it out and saw that it was the tie of a bellyband. The tip of his ear suddenly burned, and he quickly stuffed it back in, took the tray and said, "I'll give it to her. You go and prepare breakfast."
Jiangzhu agreed and immediately called several other palace servants to go to the small kitchen to prepare a new breakfast.
Ji Lian placed her dress beside the bed, and heard Jiang Zhu whisper behind the screen, "Your Highness, please take a look at today's breakfast."
Coming to the table, Ji Lian glanced at the prepared food and frowned, saying, "She doesn't like these salty pickles, so let's remove them. She drank some wine last night, so go to the kitchen and prepare some light porridge."
"Your Highness, are you still going to attend the appointment with Mr. Xie today?"
Ji Lian blurted out, "I'm not going. Just say I sprained my ankle."
"For lunch and dinner, can you please prepare what Master Xie likes?"
Ji Lian was stunned. Perhaps they could share lunch, but what about dinner? Would Xie Tingyu stay? When she woke up, would he leave?
"I'll ask later."
The corners of his mouth drooped as he walked towards the inner room. Just as he turned around the screen, he saw a scene that caught him off guard.
Xie Tingyu had her back to him, wearing only plain white shorts and no top. Her long black hair half-covered her back, and she was wearing a thin bellyband with both hands tied around her waist.
Xie Tingyu's ears twitched slightly as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head sleepily to look at the startled man, not caring at all. "Lianlian, come and help me put on my clothes. Why can't I find the palace belt that ties my waist?"
Ji Lian's Adam's apple moved slightly, and she turned her face away. "I've put it there for you a long time ago. Find it yourself."
"I can't find it." Xie Tingyu dragged out his words, "Come and help me find it."
Ji Lian had no choice but to approach, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the rounded shapeliness of her bellyband before hastily looking away. He rummaged through her clothes and quickly found the palace sash. Seeing that Xie Tingyu had already put on her undergarment, he reached out and gently pulled the long hair out from under her collar. Then, squatting down, he personally smoothed the hem of her skirt.
When her clothes were all straightened, he took the belt and looped it around her waist, and they were immediately close. His fingertips adjusted the tightness of the belt and asked softly, "How is it? Is it tight?"
Xie Tingyu, still half asleep, mumbled, "Are you talking about me?"
Before Ji Lian could say anything, Xie Tingyu opened his mouth and said, "Of course it's tight. My waist is also very good, and you have seen my horsemanship. Lianlian, do you want to try it?"
Ji Lian took a deep breath and said, "I'm talking about Gong Tao, not you."
"Ah... you tied it very well, the tightness is just right."
Ji Lian was bending down to carefully adjust her clothes when she suddenly leaned her head against her shoulder and hugged her waist. "I'm still so sleepy and dizzy."
"I've prepared some light porridge for you. Please eat some later."
Ji Lian led her to the dressing table, pressed her shoulders, and asked her to sit down. As she picked up the jade comb, she casually asked, "Would you like to stay for lunch today?"
As he spoke, he kept glancing at the mirror out of the corner of his eye.
"Hmm?" Xie Tingyu suddenly raised his eyes, "Lianlian, are you trying to get rid of me?"
The teeth of the comb suddenly got stuck. Ji Lian exerted force and followed her words, saying, "That's right. You're so picky, I'm afraid you're going to find fault with everything. It's best if you leave."
When Ji Lian said the last sentence, his heart was in his throat. He was secretly distressed about why he said that, and at the same time he was secretly worried that Xie Tingyu would really do what he said.
Ji Lian pursed her lips in silence, combing her hair to the end. When she heard the man say, "But I want to stay one more night. Will there be dinner for me tonight?" the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise. "Then I'll have to ask the kitchen to pay more attention, after all, you're such a picky eater."
The two of them walked into the side hall, and the palace servants who were supposed to stand on both sides were nowhere to be seen. This was because Jiangzhu had deliberately sent everyone away.
Ji Lian cleaned her hands and rolled up her sleeves to serve porridge and dishes to Xie Tingyu.
On the other side, Cui Yuanying placed the bowl of porridge heavily on the table. He looked at his attendant in surprise, "What? Xie Er didn't come home last night?"
The attendant came over and whispered, "Yes. Madam, the people from the Chenjun Xie family are waiting outside, asking about the whereabouts of Second Madam Xie."
Cui Yuanying took a spoonful of porridge and slurred his words, "I'm not Grand Tutor Xie, and I don't care about her food and shelter. I have to ask where she goes, right?"
"After all, it was you who invited Second Madam Xie out for a drink last night. Now she's gone. What about the Xie family's people..."
"Hey, stop talking." Cui Yuanying stood up and said, "Who knows where Xie Er went? She's such a grown-up, she can go wherever she wants."
As soon as he turned the corner, he ran into the people from the Chenjun Xie family waiting there. Cui Yuanying rubbed his face and asked sternly, "What's the matter?"
"Excuse me, Madam Cui, where did my wife go last night after she left Chunzhen Tower?" the man asked with a bow.
"Ah, this, that, actually..." Cui Yuanying suddenly had an idea, "Yes, that's right, Xie Er is staying in my garden now."
Cui Yuanying stepped forward and patted the Xie family member on the shoulder. "You know. Xie Er and I have a deep bond. After having one too many drinks last night, she decided to stay in my garden." She turned to glance at her attendant. "She praised the beautiful scenery of my new garden and said it wouldn't be a problem if she stayed a few days longer."
Seeing Cui Yuanying's expression, the attendant quickly agreed, "Ah, yes, that's right, just as my wife said."
Xie's family was puzzled. "But my wife's horse returned home on its own last night. What's going on?"
Cui Yuanying remained calm and casually said, "Xie Er's horse, Stepping Moon, has the same temperament as her. He's very picky. He thought the alfalfa in my yard wasn't fresh enough, so he kicked his horse and ran back."
After dealing with the Xie family for quite some time and sending them away, Cui Yuanying hurriedly urged, "Hurry, hurry, send everyone in the garden to search immediately! Turn Jiankang City inside and out to find Xie Er!"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I’m so stuck in writer’s block, I’ve been so stuck in writer’s block lately.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
