Chapter 65 Chapter 65 "I want a kiss."
"I can see her today."
A purple and white peony petal fell from between her jade fingers.
"I can't see her today."
Another petal fell gently to the ground.
When the sixty-fifth petal fell, Ji Lian curled her lips and threw the bare branch into the pond: "I won't be able to see her today."
Fang Jiangzhu came trotting over, barely catching her breath when she spoke hurriedly, "Your Highness, I've heard something. Lord Xie is now a Senior Cavalry Commandant and is in charge of coordinating the new army's construction. He'll probably be very busy these days."
The hopeful glint in her eyes dimmed a bit, and Ji Lian murmured, "Be busy, be busy. She's working hard for her future. It seems I won't be able to see her for a long time."
Jiangzhu quickly added the last sentence, "However, the emperor has just issued an order that Master Xie will come to the palace at 5 pm the day after tomorrow to teach the princess riding and archery!"
Ji Lian stood up suddenly, her hands interlaced and placed in front of her stomach. "Go find the new snow-blue blouse in the box." She shook her head and bit her lower lip. "No, get the ink-colored blouse. If she wears purple, it'll seem like I'm waiting for her."
Jiangzhu turned to leave, but heard a voice behind her, "Wait, Your Highness?"
"It should go with that tasseled waist belt." Ji Lian faced the water, her voice so soft that it seemed as if she was speaking to the water. "The one that won't show any signs of being undone."
"yes."
If the mountain does not come to see me, I will go to see the mountain.
Ji Lian left the Posa Pavilion before noon, wandered aimlessly around the palace for several times, and then slowly walked towards the small garden. As soon as he walked around the rocks, he saw that the area below was surrounded by three layers of people.
The man in the innermost part was playing pot toss with his face masked. He carelessly shot arrows into the pot one after another, causing Ji Xun to jump and clap his hands in applause.
He slowly descended the stone steps, still pondering how to begin his conversation, when a sharp-eyed palace attendant spotted him. Greetings rose and fell, and the crowd retreated like a tide, making room for the innermost circle.
Ji Lian looked at Xie Tingyu who was pretending to salute and calling him "Your Highness the Emperor" in a serious manner, and the awkward feeling of pretending to be unfamiliar with him rushed into his heart.
Ji Xun first bowed to Ji Lian, called him "uncle", and then excitedly pulled his sleeve: "Uncle, Xie Shaobao is really good at throwing pots. Do you want to come and play with us?"
Because of her relationship with Xie Helan, Ji Lian often visited Penglai Pavilion and would stay for meals from time to time. She became very close to her little niece.
"I can't."
Ji Lian let Ji Xun pull at her sleeve, saying calmly, "I was just strolling around in the afternoon, and happened to pass by to see what was going on. I'll be back soon."
"Let's go?" Ji Xun tugged at the wide sleeves in his hands. "Why are you in such a hurry, uncle?" He pointed to the pavilion nearby. "Uncle must be tired from walking. Why don't you go inside and rest a bit?"
Ji Lian casually walked towards the pavilion and sat upright on the beauty's bench, her eyes deliberately avoiding the pitching pot game and staring only at the rocks beside the pavilion. Jiangzhu was busy, pouring tea and fanning herself, the fine silk fan whirring loudly.
But the ears stood up uncontrollably.
After a few clear and melodious sounds, Ji Xun's voice exploded with joy, "Teacher, you are so amazing! I want to be like you in the future!" "Okay, then I will practice my arm strength when I get home." "Teacher, teacher, can you come to the palace to see me more often?"
Ji Lian tightened her grip on the teacup and tilted her head back to drink the tea.
"Okay! Then, Teacher, you must come to the palace to see me often. Don't break your promise. Let's make a promise."
Then there were a few footsteps of running sounds coming towards me.
Ji Lian looked up and saw Ji Xun jumping up to her, holding an arrow, his face flushed with excitement. The child pointed at the pot and said, "Uncle, I just hit it twice in a row. The teacher is really good!"
Seeing Ji Lian's faint smile and nod, Ji Xun began to pull his sleeve again, "Uncle, you're so bored here alone, why don't we play hide-and-seek together?" He shook his hand and stretched out his tone, "I just agreed with the teacher that after I hit the target twice, we can play games and rest."
Ji Lian looked troubled. "But, something's going on in Posa Pavilion. I'm afraid I have to..."
"Uncle, there are so many things to do. Come and play with us." Ji Xun grabbed his wrist and pulled him up from his seat with brute force.
The wide sleeves of the ink-colored shirt were pulled diagonally and slid down halfway, revealing the snow-white cuffs of the shirt underneath.
After hesitating for a long time, Ji Lian nodded reluctantly.
In order to gather enough people to play hide-and-seek, Ji Xun called a few more palace maids. They drew lots from the lottery box, and when the lot fell, it was Ji Xun who drew the one with the character "寻" (searching) in it.
While the lawn for the game of touhu is spacious, the adjacent Guiyuan Garden offers a completely different world. Jagged rockeries crisscross and intertwine, with two-person-high Lingbi rocks separating winding paths like screens, and clusters of osmanthus trees trimmed into the shapes of auspicious beasts dot the landscape.
It was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus mixed with the scent of moss wafted over.
All in all, it's a great place to play hide and seek.
Ji Xun was still young, and the garden was filled with winding streams and secluded pools. Her personal palace maids did not participate in the game, fearing that the little ancestor would accidentally fall into the pool.
Ji Lian originally wanted to use the game as an opportunity to follow Xie Tingyu, but as soon as he rounded a huge rock, the man disappeared. He was anxious and hurried to chase after him.
What does this person mean? Is he deliberately avoiding him?
Just as he was getting annoyed, he suddenly felt someone behind him. Turning around, Xie Tingyu was so close that he could clearly see the amber lines in her pupils.
"Thanks—Ugh!"
Before he could even scream, his mouth was covered. Xie Tingyu put his index finger to his lips and shook his head.
"It's my uncle's voice, come quickly!" Ji Xun's excited voice came closer along with the sound of footsteps.
Xie Tingyu grabbed him and ran away without saying a word.
Ji Lian pursed her lips and watched her ponytail draw smooth arcs in the wind. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.
After several twists and turns, the two of them slipped into a gap in the rockery. This alley was narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. Because of the overlapping rocks, it was not only dark but also extremely cool.
Ji Lian was led by her, step by step deeper into the stone path, until the end, when there was no place to retreat, she stopped.
Standing outside and looking in, all you can see is a dark crevice in the rocks, with no glimpse of what's inside.
In the darkness, only two intertwined breathing sounds were heard, echoing between the closed stone walls.
Xie Tingyu reached out and tucked Ji Lian's hair back. Her lips barely moved, her breath brushing the hair on his ear. "Your Highness, did you come out specifically to look for me today?"
"No." Ji Lian's lips moved slightly and he replied to her in a whisper.
Xie Tingyu stopped talking.
The two were so close to each other that the fragrance of agarwood and green lotus blended between their nostrils, intertwining and inseparable.
Ji Lian subconsciously leaned forward a little, and the man retreated a little. He swallowed a burning breath and admitted, "Yes, I did come here to find you."
A touch of warmth suddenly brushed across his lips, but before he could savor it, his back pressed against the cold rock. The chill seeped into his clothes, and her breath, like a fine spiderweb, tightened around his spine inch by inch.
"Your Highness, I have accepted the invitation to be best man at Yuan Wangshu's wedding banquet. Would you be willing to do me the honor?"
Why Yuan Wangshu?
Ji Lian's eyes narrowed slightly, her mind twisting and turning like a winding corridor, "Why is it the Runan Yuan family? Are you doing this for that Yuan Sanlang?" When she said the last three words, her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.
“…………”
Xie Tingyu was puzzled. "It has nothing to do with that Yuan Lang. It's just that I saved Wangshu Niang while suppressing bandits. The other day, we had a drink together, and since they saw that I could still drink, they invited me to be the best man."
Hearing the word "drink", Ji Lian's heart felt like being scratched by a cat's claws, "Then, when you two drink together, will you bring Yuan Sanlang with you?"
The moment this question came out, Ji Lian found it extremely amusing. The ladies were drinking and having fun together, so why would they bring their own brother along? What was the purpose?
"No. When I drink with others, it's always the ladies who keep me company."
Ji Lian hummed softly and said no more.
Xie Tingyu also remained silent, leaning his elbows against the rocks, trapping Ji Lian in a small space.
Suddenly, a stream of warm breath mixed with a delicate fragrance brushed against his eyelashes. The person's lips brushed against his, almost imperceptibly, like a dragonfly skimming the water, each time leaving in a flash, only to stir his itch.
Ji Lian's restlessness grew stronger, and she couldn't find relief from her teasing.
The sound of swallowing in the throat was particularly clear in the silence.
You're always teasing him like this? It's fun, isn't it?
Another stream of breath blew towards him tirelessly.
He suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, stopping her from playing hard-to-get and playing close yet distant. His soft tongue licked her lower lip, his arms tightening as he uttered the words that had lingered between his teeth for so long, "Kiss me."
As he wished, Xie Tingyu, like tasting a delicacy, gently lifted his chin with her fingers and started attacking from his lower lip.
Her pearly teeth lightly rolled over her soft lips, almost biting and licking them, and then she took them back into her mouth, her tongue deftly outlining the shape of her lips. Ji Lian's eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and seeing that she was still not coming, she had no choice but to extend her tongue to tease her.
A barely audible laugh came from the darkness.
In the blinding darkness, Ji Lian felt only the root of her tongue being gently grasped, then swallowed inch by inch. Her tongue entwined with his, then slowly tightened, this lingering kiss causing her to drool repeatedly, which she had to swallow down again and again.
Ji Lian closed her eyes, feeling the tingling sensation between her lips and tongue grow stronger. Her breath quickened, her neck tilted back slightly, her lips parted, welcoming her deep kiss. They barely separated for a moment before he took the initiative, their lips entwined, inseparable.
More, more, and more.
Xie Tingyu's hand subconsciously rubbed his waist, and his fingers hooked the tassels on his waist.
"Wow, there is a gap here." Ji Xun's voice suddenly came from outside, waking up the two people who were kissing deeply inside.
Then, a series of small footsteps came from far away.
It was Ji Xun who stepped into the rockery.
Bang bang bang.
Ji Lian felt his heart pounding. His fingertips trembled as he tried to pull back, but Xie Tingyu's hand gripped them tightly, intertwining their fingers. He opened his eyes wide, clearly feeling the man licking his lips recklessly in the darkness. He held his breath, afraid to let out a sound.
The footsteps are getting closer.
Ji Lian's throat tightened, her back tensed, and her legs felt slightly weak. Even though she was nestled among the cool, shady rocks, beads of sweat clung to the back of her neck.
Ji Xun stared at the thick darkness before her, a child's curiosity mixed with inexplicable excitement, pushing her to explore step by step. Maybe she could really encounter the mountain spirits and wild monsters described in the storybooks?
She was very perceptive and had a feeling that there might be someone else hiding in the dark place besides herself, but it was pitch black and she could not see.
A familiar fragrance came from the deepest part.
Ji Xun's nostrils twitched, a hint of doubt rising from the bottom of his heart. This was the green lotus fragrance he had smelled on his uncle before. Could he be in this place?
"Uncle, are you in there?"
Ji Lian was horrified, and all the blood in his body immediately rushed to his head. His vision went black. The hand pressing on Xie Tingyu's forearm suddenly tightened, and his fingertips turned pale.
Ji Xun tilted his head and suddenly reached out to grope forward.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I was typing this morning and realized that the title was written wrong.
I have changed the address of "uncle" in Chapter 64 to "little uncle", so there is no need to reread. In Chapter 65, Lianlian is also addressed as "little uncle".
Are you surprised by my speed? I started typing at 9 o'clock this morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
