Chapter 66: Post-Marriage Part 1: Am, he’s got his eyes on us, he doesn’t want to…
The candlelight gradually dimmed, leaving only a little warm light reflected on the curtain, a soft warmth.
Chen Jinshi found it difficult to describe the feeling.
Lying in the same bed with her, with my head resting on her legs, what a steady and solid love it is.
The tip of my nose was filled with the faint scent of milk from her body.
His breath was warm, brushing against her belly.
Du Lan put her fingers into his hair and combed it gently.
His hair was a little harder than when he was in Jinling, and his skin was a little rougher than when he was a child.
All the changes in him were so obvious.
From untamed to docile, he would still show his fangs occasionally, but he offered her a whip so that she could teach him a lesson whenever he crossed the line.
The wind outside the tent occasionally blew by, bringing with it the coolness of the grassland, but inside the tent it was as warm as a pool of warm water, wrapping the two of them in it.
She picked up the cowhide whip beside her with one hand, and without saying a word, she gently stroked his back with the tip of the whip, leaving a slightly cool touch.
Chen Jinshi's body tensed instantly. He raised his chin slightly, revealing his smooth neck.
That posture looked like a sacrifice and also like a prayer.
His kisses fell on her forehead, her cheeks, her lips.
She didn't drop the whip, which meant she approved.
He continued to advance, and after obtaining permission, he seemed to have completely lost his mind.
"Am..." He murmured incoherently, his voice full of uncontrollable desire and longing, "I want you...I want you now..."
He suddenly turned over and pressed Du Lan under him, his chest heaving violently, his eyes flashing with a beast-like light. His kiss was no longer limited to her lips, but went all the way down her neck, burning hot everywhere.
For the first time in all these years, Dulan felt like he couldn't bear it anymore.
The man's straightforwardness and madness made her legs go weak, his undisguised love made her heart swell, and her long-indifferent heart was also clamoring.
The reason why she would always choose Chen Jinshi between Chen Jinshi and Xie Qingyue was probably because he was the only one who was so straightforward and passionate, and he was the only one who could show her his heart regardless of everything.
Dulan is not a woman who values these things.
In her heart, it doesn't matter who she marries or who she spends her life with, and Xie Qingyue is also very good and very suitable for her.
But when Chen Jinshi appeared, she couldn't help but turn all her attention to him. His courtship was so direct and passionate. He suddenly turned over, his expression almost frantic, as if he were sacrificing himself. The wind outside the yurt seemed to grow even more violent, sweeping up the dust from the ground and beating it against the outer layer of the yurt.
She thought that Xie Qingyue probably couldn't do that.
She had come up with all sorts of reasons for choosing Chen Jin, but only now did she admit the most important reason: She loved the raging storm, like a mad dog running wildly. She loved the desire in him that almost devoured her. She loved madness, she loved primitiveness.
Du Lan's body trembled slightly.
Du Lan almost fainted, and Chen Jinshi was still mumbling in her ear, his hot breath mixed with heavy gasps.
"Am... look at me..." He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pressed her hand against his sweaty back. The muscles there were as tight as a fully drawn bow, and every inch of them was clamoring for ultimate possession. "I am yours... from head to toe, inside and out, all yours..."
He was filled with a destructive savagery that he poured out on her without reservation.
The wind and sand outside the yurt became increasingly violent, and the felt cloth was flapping with a buzzing sound, as if it was going to intertwine with the heat between them and completely ignite this small world.
Dulan's consciousness had long since faded, leaving only her body's most instinctive sinking. She raised her arms to hug his neck, her nails digging deep into his firm flesh.
At daybreak, the sound of cattle and sheep mooing and bleating could be heard outside the yurt, mixed with the shouts of herdsmen in the distance as they hurried to graze their animals.
This grassland is not only inhabited by Suhe's family. After the wedding, everything returned to normal.
Du Lan was awakened by the coolness outside the wool blanket. When she opened her eyes, Chen Jinshi was still buried in her chest.
"Awake?" Tuya called out to them, lifting the felt curtain. She placed the freshly milked milk bucket on a stool beside the fire pit and picked up the sheep towel hanging from the pillar. "Dad said he's going to the east pasture this morning to see Batu's new lambs. Do you want to go?"
Dulan was still naked. She lifted her eyelids and took a look outside. "Tuya, it's still early."
Tuya is so presumptuous.
Du Lan lowered her head to look at Chen Jinshi who was still buried in her chest. He raised his head to look at her, his eyelashes trembling, and there was a layer of sleepy mist in his eyes. He looked so obedient, but suddenly he lowered his head, opened his mouth, and bit down.
Du Lan pulled the hair on the back of his head and gritted her teeth: "Chen Jinshi!"
"Just a moment." He moved his tongue and spoke incoherently.
The touch of his tongue was warm from just waking up, which made Du Lan's back numb. However, the strength in her hands loosened a little and she gently pulled the hair on top of his head.
Tuya stood behind the curtain and said with a smile, "It's getting late, brother-in-law. Dad also asked you to go over. He said the dry cow dung for the fire pit is almost gone, so he asked you to go to the firewood pile at the bottom of the slope and bring some back."
Du Lan felt the man on her chest take a deep breath, then slowly crawled out from under the blanket and stood up. His bare shoulders still bore the red marks from last night, and the morning light made them particularly dazzling.
He was quite calm. He grabbed the coat beside him and wrapped it around Dulan, then picked up the robe and put it on himself. He didn't quite know how to wear men's clothes in this building, and he couldn't tie the belt after trying for a long time.
The two men finished packing up slowly and opened the felt curtain. Tuya was feeding the sheepdog at the door with her back to them. Seeing them come out, she said jokingly, "Dad has urged us twice. Even if you are energetic, you should at least wait until dark."
Dulan took the dried meat from Tuya's hand and squatted down to feed the sheepdog for a while: "What young man?"
Tuya had a half-smile on her face: "Brother-in-law knows what I'm talking about."
Chen Jinshi also squatted down: "Let's go check on Batu's lamb later. Tell Dad to wait for us."
Dulan raised his head and looked at Tuya jokingly: "What's wrong? Do you want me to give you some of the magical medicine of the grassland, maca?"
Finally, it was Tuya's turn to blush: "He doesn't need that thing! Sister, you should save it for your brother-in-law. He does it at night and during the day. Even a young body can't stand it."
Du Lan laughed out loud at Tuya's words and patted her arm. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I was only a teenager back then, and you had just married my brother. It was in broad daylight, on that dirt slope, and you had to let me see you. How dare you, as your sister-in-law!"
Tuya instructed Chen Jinshi: "Go collect the cow dung first, then come back and go to Batu's house with Dad."
Chen Jinshi stayed there with his ears pricked, wanting to listen. Du Lan pushed him away and said, "Hurry up and go. You have to go back to the government office to be Mr. Chen tomorrow. Why don't you help Dad with more work today?"
"Then I'll go first, you wait for me here." As he said that, he picked up the bamboo basket in the corner and walked towards the west side of the grassland.
There were still dewdrops hanging on the grass leaves in the early morning, wetting his trouser legs. In the distance, herds of cattle and sheep were leisurely grazing, and occasional mooing could be heard, making the grassland seem particularly quiet.
When he came back with a full basket of dry cow dung, Dulan was sitting by the fire making milk tea, and Suhe had already packed up the saddle and was leaning against the pillar of the yurt smoking a pipe.
Seeing him come back, Su He knocked his pipe against the sole of his shoe and said, "Just right, the milk tea is almost ready. Have a bowl of hot milk tea before you go."
Chen Jinshi poured the cow dung into the haystack beside the fire pit and went to the fire pit to keep warm.
Du Lan felt mixed emotions as she watched him transform from a young man who could solve any problem with money into a rough man on the grassland.
He recalled that many years ago, she went up to the roof to touch up the paint, and he had to help her even though he didn't like it.
Dulan poured him a bowl of milk tea and handed him a piece of milk tofu: "It's freshly cut, try it."
After drinking the milk tea, they led the horses towards Batu's house.
As soon as I reached the edge of the pasture, I saw Batu squatting next to the sheep pen.
Du Lan leaned over to take a look. The lamb was snow-white and curled up in the sheep pen like a small ball of wool.
Chen Jinshi also squatted down and carefully touched the lamb's back. He felt the softness of the lamb's back with his fingertips and couldn't help laughing: "It's really small, like a rabbit."
Suhe squatted aside and talked with Batu about the growth of grass this year, while Dulan helped to add grass to the other lambs. Chen Jinshi also joined in and imitated Dulan to spread the dried grass into the sheep pen.
Chen Jinshi was not very patient when spreading hay. With one forkful, most of the hay flew out of the sheep pen.
Dulan scolded him: "Put it in front of the sheep, don't throw it so far away, no one can eat it!"
She stretched her arm into the fence, and a newly-born ewe came over and rubbed the back of her hand.
Chen Jinshi changed his movements and saw that her skirt was stained with mud. He quickly pulled her over and said, "It just rained. There's a lot of mud around the sheep pen. Don't let it get on your clothes."
Du Lan glanced at him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "What are you being so particular about? What are you being so particular about?"
Chen Jinshi looked aggrieved: "You just made this skirt a few days ago. It will be difficult to wash it if it gets dirty."
As he said this, he squatted down and used his sleeves to wipe the mud stains on her skirt.
Tuya laughed when she saw it: "You wiped it for her, and it got dirty again after a while, why bother?"
Du Lan wanted to pull him away, but she couldn't bear to interrupt him. She waited for him to wipe her clean. She didn't dare to move, as she didn't want to get her clothes dirty again.
He stood up: "Okay, it's clean now."
Dulan, wearing a clean and beautiful skirt, stuffed the fodder back into his hand and pointed at the lambs in the sheepfold: "Hurry up and spread the grass. If you dawdle any longer, Dad will be angry with you."
Chen Jinshi took the pitchfork and started to work seriously this time.
After Su He finished talking with Batu, he came over and patted Chen Jinshi on the shoulder: "Not bad, your work is getting better and better!"
Chen Jinshi curled up the corners of his mouth and smiled.
By the time we finished cleaning the sheep pen, the sun was already high in the sky and the wind had become warmer.
Tuya helped Batu's wife prepare lunch, stewing mutton in a copper pot.
Several people sat around a low table and talked about the court's new policies.
"Master Chen, your court has done so much for us Loufan over the past six months, sending us seeds and medicinal herbs. Is there really no purpose?"
Chen Jinshi paused holding the wine bowl and looked up at Batu who was asking the question.
Batu has a straightforward look on his face and doesn't like to hide things in a roundabout way.
Chen Jinshi put down the bowl, gently stroking the rim with his fingertips, and spoke carefully: "The court does have a purpose, but at present, I, Chen Jinshi, am the only one who can fully represent the court. I am the son-in-law of the Suhe family. I don't care what the court's purpose is. I have the final say on whether to carry out the order or not."
Su He didn't say anything, but just held the bowl and blew away the hot air, glancing at Chen Jinshi.
Batu scratched his head and asked, seemingly understanding, "This isn't very good either, hehe."
A few people were chatting and laughing around a low table when suddenly the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the tent. Chen Jinshi's attendant reined in his horse and dismounted at the door. He had obviously hurried over overnight. He held a bright yellow-covered document in his hand and looked anxious. "Sir, this is an urgent message from the Governor's Office. It's the Emperor's new decree."
Chen Jinshi's heart sank. He put down the bowl and took the document.
As soon as my fingertips touched the wax seal, I felt its weight. This was a secret order directly delivered by the Grand Council.
When he unfolded it, his brows instantly twisted into knots.
"What's wrong?" Su He saw that his face looked strange and asked in a rough voice.
Chen Jinshi handed the document to Su He, his voice deepening. "The imperial court wants to establish military settlements on the grasslands in southern Loufan. They're sending 5,000 soldiers to garrison there while cultivating the land and growing crops. They claim this is to strengthen border defenses."
"What?" Su He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "The southern grasslands are the winter pastures for our Dalan tribe and several surrounding tribes! The cattle and sheep rely on the hay there to survive the winter. If we reclaim the land, what will our cattle and sheep eat?"
Batu also became anxious and slammed the table: "This won't do, Master Chen!"
The atmosphere in Batu's yurt suddenly became solemn. Chen Jinshi looked at everyone's expressions and felt very confused. Why would the emperor suddenly give such an order? It was completely different from the plan he had said before he set out.
He knew too well the intentions behind the military settlements. The old men in the court always felt that the Loufan were "difficult to tame" and wanted to use the military settlements to station soldiers in the heart of the grassland, so as to control the pastures and keep the tribes in check at any time.
"Brother Batu, Father, don't worry." Chen Jinshi calmed himself down. "This is just a preliminary decree. The specific scope of reclamation hasn't been determined yet. I'll go back to the governor's office early tomorrow morning to put this matter to rest. I'll then write a memorial to the emperor to plead my case."
There are still procedures to get things done. Besides, where will the 5,000 soldiers come from? Xie Qingyue, Zhao Desheng and others are all our own people, and the court cannot mobilize them in three or five days.
Su He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. "Son-in-law, you must make this matter clear to the court! The southern grasslands must not be touched! We Loufan people rely on the grasslands for our livelihood. Without the grasslands, even if the court gives us more food, it won't be a long-term solution!"
"I know." Chen Jinshi nodded, his eyes firm. "I will make it clear to the emperor. If the military settlements force the tribes to have no livelihood, the border will become even more unstable. And..." He paused and looked at Dulan. "I will never let Dulan and the people of the tribe have no place to graze in the winter."
Du Lan held his hand and whispered, "I'll go back with you."
Chen Jinshi nodded gently and turned to look at Batu and Suhe: "Dad, Brother Batu, this news must not be spread out."
Su He nodded: "I know."
At the Bingzhou Governor's Office, early in the morning, before the morning mist had dissipated, Xie Qingyue rode his horse to the office.
"Dulan, how are you?"
Du Lan stood at the door waiting for him: "I'm fine, everyone is here, please come in."
Xie Qingyue dismounted, handed the reins to the soldier at the door, and strode in.
Zhao Desheng and Chen Jinshi were frowning at a map. A thick stack of documents was piled on the table. Several followers were standing around them, all with serious expressions.
Xie Qingyue walked to the table, his eyes falling on the marked map. He said in a deep voice, "I just heard outside the city that the imperial inspector has arrived. How could it be so fast? What is the emperor thinking?"
"We're here. Let's have tea next door." Chen Jinshi looked at Xie Qingyue with a heavy face. "The emperor may have been persuaded by those in the court. He thinks that military settlements can control the border once and for all, and he doesn't want to wait any longer."
Xie Qingyue frowned and looked at him steadily: "Chen Jinshi, if this is the emperor's order, neither you nor I can disobey it."
Chen Jinshi was about to say something, that at worst he would never return to Beijing.
Xie Qingyue added: "Don't forget, you still have your brother and sister-in-law in Beijing."
Chen Jinshi's words got stuck in his throat, and his fingertips clenched the corner of the table so tightly that his knuckles turned white. If he didn't disobey the order, would he have to raise his sword against Du Lan and the others?
Under the table, Du Lan gently held his hand, and the warmth of her palm made him calm down a little.
She hesitated and said, "There's a piece of sandy land in the east of Loufan that could be turned into farmland without taking up our pasture."
As he was speaking, the supervisor seemed to be getting impatient and called someone over to urge him again.
"Is everyone here? The Supervisor is waiting for you to come over and discuss things."
Chen Jinshi stood up and said to the visitor in a deep voice, "I understand. I'll be right there."
The supervisor was wearing a green official robe and sitting on a chair drinking tea. When he saw them come in, he bowed to each other.
"Supervisor, you've come a long way and must have worked hard. Sit down and have some tea. I'll make arrangements for the evening. Beauties, fine wine, the best mutton, whatever you want. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
The Supervisor sneered, "Sir Chen, I have a letter from the Emperor, it's for you."
Chen Jinshi's heart sank. He put down his tea bowl and took out a letter from his sleeve.
"Sir Chen, before the Emperor sent me here, he specifically told me to put the court first and not sacrifice public interest for personal gain."
Chen Jinshi raised his head with cold eyes, took the letter, unfolded it and saw that the emperor's handwriting was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper.
The first line of the letter was "Congratulations to Mr. Chen on your wedding."
Chen Jinshi slammed the letter shut and suddenly understood why the emperor issued this order.
Counting the time, it was the day when he defeated Xie Qingyue and replaced Xie Qingyue as Dulan's fiancé. The news was passed back to the capital from Loufan.
If the emperor could tolerate the two of them living in harmony, he would not have forced Dulan away three years ago.
The emperor was reminding him, "I am very unhappy."
"Mr. Chen, choose one of the two. Do your job well and don't let me down."
"Sir Chen, you understand the emperor's intention, don't you?" the supervisor put down his teacup. "The military settlement cannot be delayed. Either cooperate with the surveying of grassland and begin land reclamation within three days, or you will face the emperor's censure. You should also carefully consider how to explain your secret marriage to a Loufan lady when you return to the capital."
At night, the layout of the wing rooms of the Bingzhou government office looked very much like their former home in the capital.
The same carved window lattices, the same rosewood desk, but the furniture style lacks the warmth of Jinling and has a touch of coldness.
Chen Jinshi was writing at his desk when Du Lan walked in and put a bowl of sweet soup beside his desk.
Everything is the same as before.
Even the memorial Chen Jinshi was writing to the emperor was based entirely on the policy essays he had learned in front of her window.
It was also a moonlit night, and she was sitting beside his bed, needle and thread in her hands.
"What are you thinking about?" Du Lan saw him stop writing and reached out to brush away the dust from his shoulders. Her fingertips touched his tense shoulder line. "You've been writing for so long. Take a break. The sweet soup is getting cold."
Chen Jinshi came to his senses and turned to look at her.
The moonlight fell into her eyes, like a shallow lake, overlapping with the scene in the courtyard three years ago.
He reached out and took her hand, yanking it hard, pulling her onto his knees, holding her waist and burying his head.
"I'm thinking," he gritted his teeth and bit her neck hard, "What kind of magic potion did you give Xuan Che back then? He hasn't forgotten you until now." He raised his hand and pinched her. She was slightly startled, and then heard him say, "Do you know how beautiful you are? Your every move, you know how to make people fall in love with you." Although he was accusing her, his expression was almost obsessed.
Du Lan shuddered slightly and tilted her head, letting his hot breath fall on her neck. "What's wrong? Is this incident related to him?"
Chen Jinshi's hands didn't stop, his voice hoarse: "Tell me, if I don't handle this matter well, will he take the opportunity to kill me and snatch you away?"
Dulan put her arm around his neck and gently touched the back of his neck: "No, the prince is a very good person."
"Actually, he let me come here to trouble you as a trap, right?" Chen Jinshi looked up at her.
"At that time, I just wanted to rely on him and help Jinxing." She raised her hand to smooth the wrinkles between his brows, her voice as soft as the moonlight.
She tried to explain that she had no intention of "seducing" the prince.
Unfortunately, such an explanation can only arouse Chen Jinshi's crazy possessiveness.
His Adam's apple rolled suddenly, and his fingers tightened, leaving red marks on the plump flesh with his five fingers.
"You are all my children, and I should take care of you."
His force was so strong that she frowned slightly: "You've done too much, Am, you don't have to be so selfless."
But he remembered that after the Empress Dowager passed away, many people in the Imperial Medical Bureau suffered, and Chen Jinxing was lucky to escape.
Du Lan groaned in frustration, her fingertips tightly gripping his wrist, trying to get him to loosen his grip, but her eyes reddened unconsciously: "I'm just doing the best I can, and he just happened to come to me and show his affection to me..." Before she finished speaking, her voice trembled a little.
"So what should we do now? Am, he's got his eyes on us, and he doesn't want us to have an easy time."
Chen Jinshi looked up at her red eyes, his anger burst out, and he kissed her lips with a gasp.
She evaded his tongue and mumbled, "It's okay, I'll always be with you."
This kiss was more urgent than any previous one, carrying with it his lingering anger and deep-seated panic, as if he wanted to confirm through this close touch that she was really by his side.
Chen Jinshi knew from a young age that not everyone in his family of three was so lucky. For someone who had lost their mother to have "Amu" again was a rare blessing.
When I grow up, I own Dulan too.
He was just lucky and "grabbed" her temporarily.
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